"Wait" and "weight" sound just the same, and have much in common. To wait is to feel the weight of time heavy upon us. Few burdens are as heavy as waiting, yet waiting is top of the priority list.
"Wait for the LORD; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the LORD" (Psalm 27:14)
Waiting is associated with inactivity. Pro-active people take action; procrastinators wait. Busy people are responsible, whereas lazy people wait. Waiting is for the indecisive; activity and action is for decisive, take-charge people. Except, God doesn't see it that way. Waiting isn't idleness; it is drawing strength and courage through active faith.
"Good things come to those who wait", goes the old saying, and it is true. The repeated pattern with the people of God in the Bible is that they received through waiting in faith. Abraham received a promised son through years of patient waiting (in spite of a few missteps along the way). Moses' character was shaped and refined such that he could be used mightily by God. Elijah waited patiently for God's provision through years of drought and famine. Jesus' character was effectively shaped through a grueling forty-day fast in a desert.
Personally, I find that waiting all too often produces irritability and anger. The goal of waiting seems elusive, and my temper easily flares. But, the goal I have in sight is far different than the one God intends through the process of waiting, To use a common phrase these days, "the journey is the destination". My purpose in waiting may be to see a dream or goal realized, whereas God's goal through waiting is the development of character. Kingdom character will never be developed through quick and easy answers, but rather through the crucible of trying circumstances that free us of self-reliance.
There are pressing concerns on my plate as I write these words about waiting - no doubt no coincidence. There are those in my family and church family who face crises amidst trying economic times. I desperately plead for a new job for them, or a promotion, or a new income stream. But, will the realization of these things better develop kingdom character within, or will they release them from faith and free them for self-indulgence? I fear that I know the answer.
Waiting in faith draws as to the priority of the Psalmist: "Teach me Your way, O LORD, And lead me in a level path" (Psalm 27:11). It is doubtful that we will ever truly learn the way of the LORD, and His level path, unless we are waiting upon Him in faith.
Make certain that the main thing is the main thing. Intimately know the LORD and His ways through faithful waiting. This is the pathway to "seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness", and having all else that is needful added to us as well (Matthew 6:33).
Steve
"Wait for the LORD; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the LORD" (Psalm 27:14)
Waiting is associated with inactivity. Pro-active people take action; procrastinators wait. Busy people are responsible, whereas lazy people wait. Waiting is for the indecisive; activity and action is for decisive, take-charge people. Except, God doesn't see it that way. Waiting isn't idleness; it is drawing strength and courage through active faith.
"Good things come to those who wait", goes the old saying, and it is true. The repeated pattern with the people of God in the Bible is that they received through waiting in faith. Abraham received a promised son through years of patient waiting (in spite of a few missteps along the way). Moses' character was shaped and refined such that he could be used mightily by God. Elijah waited patiently for God's provision through years of drought and famine. Jesus' character was effectively shaped through a grueling forty-day fast in a desert.
Personally, I find that waiting all too often produces irritability and anger. The goal of waiting seems elusive, and my temper easily flares. But, the goal I have in sight is far different than the one God intends through the process of waiting, To use a common phrase these days, "the journey is the destination". My purpose in waiting may be to see a dream or goal realized, whereas God's goal through waiting is the development of character. Kingdom character will never be developed through quick and easy answers, but rather through the crucible of trying circumstances that free us of self-reliance.
There are pressing concerns on my plate as I write these words about waiting - no doubt no coincidence. There are those in my family and church family who face crises amidst trying economic times. I desperately plead for a new job for them, or a promotion, or a new income stream. But, will the realization of these things better develop kingdom character within, or will they release them from faith and free them for self-indulgence? I fear that I know the answer.
Waiting in faith draws as to the priority of the Psalmist: "Teach me Your way, O LORD, And lead me in a level path" (Psalm 27:11). It is doubtful that we will ever truly learn the way of the LORD, and His level path, unless we are waiting upon Him in faith.
Make certain that the main thing is the main thing. Intimately know the LORD and His ways through faithful waiting. This is the pathway to "seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness", and having all else that is needful added to us as well (Matthew 6:33).
Steve
posted by steve @ 9:03 AM
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