Wait

I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait on the LORD; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the LORD! (Psalm 27:13-14)

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines "wait" as: (1) to stay in place in expectation of (2) to remain stationary in readiness or expectation (3) to look forward expectantly (4) to hold back expectantly (5) to be ready and available (6) to remain temporarily neglected or unrealized.

In her book, Keep a Quiet Heart, Elisabeth Elliot writes, "A spirit of resistance cannot wait on God. I believe it is this spirit which is the reason for some of our greatest sufferings. Opposing the workings of the Lord in and through our 'problems' only exacerbates them. It is here and now that we must win our victories or suffer defeats. Spiritual victories are won in the quiet acceptance of ordinary events, which are God's 'bright servants,' standing all around us.

"Restlessness and impatience change nothing except our peace and joy. Peace does not dwell in outward things, but in the heart prepared to wait trustfully and quietly on Him who has all things safely in His hands. 'Peace I leave with you; I do not give to you as the world gives' (John 14:27, NEB). What sort of peace has He to give us? A peace which is constant in the midst of ceaseless work (with few visible results), frequent interruptions, impatient demands, few physical comforts; a peace which was not destroyed by the arguments, the faithlessness, the hatred of the people. Jesus had perfect confidence in His Father, whose will He had come to accomplish. Nothing touched Him without His Father's permission. Nothing touches me without my Father's permission. Can I not then wait patiently? He will show the way.

"It is amazing how clear things become when we are still before Him, not complaining, not insisting on quick answers, only seeking to hear His word in the stillness, and to see things in His light." (Pages 135-136)

During a recent phone conversation my grandmother told me about her quiet time that morning and thanked me for being a good influence on her (concerning quiet times). That was incredibly humbling, but I was so very thankful that the Lord used me. I don't recall the passages she mentioned, but I do remember her saying, "Now I know why you're always so calm and trusting the Lord. The verses I read this morning made me think of you." The Lord has brought so many events into my life within the past year to teach me patience. I marvel at the peace and contentment that accompany a heart that waits on Him.

Wait... who likes to wait? In a world that moves at warp-speed, we have lost the art of simply being still. Christians are no different today -- we want God to work on our timetable, we want answers to our prayers now, we want immediate results! We worry, we complain... we have forgotten how to wait calmly on the Lord. Do we honestly think so lowly of God that we don't think He will carry through? One of my favorite verses, Romans 8:28, carries a promise that gives me confidence to wait -- And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. ALL things. God is not so weak that He will not finish what He starts. Is He not the author and the finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2)? There is a framed quote in my grandmother's study by an anonymous author that I love -- "Worry slanders every promise in the Word of God."

Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; on You I wait all the day. Keep my soul, and deliver me; let me not be ashamed, for I put my trust in You. Let integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for You. (Psalm 25:5, 20-21)

I waited patiently for the LORD; and He inclined to me, and heard my cry. (Psalm 40:1)

And it will be said in that day: "“Behold, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us. This is the LORD; we have waited for Him; we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation." (Isaiah 25:9)

A heart that does not wait on the Lord is in sin -- the sin here is not impatience, but distrust. When you do not trust God (because you do not know His character intimately), you grow impatient for Him to act, rather than resting in His omnipotence and omniscience.

You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You. Trust in the LORD forever, for in YAH, the LORD, is everlasting strength. (Isaiah 26:3-4)