The "Waiting Game" isn't a Game

This evening I was blessed to share with those in attendance at Calvary Chapel El Cajon about my recent trip to Australia.  The hardest part was trying to compact two months to a manageable size and convey a little of the culture and spiritual make-up of Australia.  Towards the end of sharing time I spoke about waiting for God to reveal the next step.  For a lot of us, waiting is synonymous with inaction or boredom.  If we are waiting in a grocery store line we feel hindered from our purpose of buying items.  A line at Disneyland prevents us from enjoying the ride immediately.  Whenever Laura and I would take the high school group to Six-Flags Magic Mountain, we would often come up with games to play to pass the time.  Most of those games were more annoying than just standing silently for hours!

We often see waiting on the LORD at the same way:  annoying and bothersome, our goals and plans remaining incomplete until God moves.  This is not what God desires!  Like in most instances, we have it all wrong.  Waiting upon God does not mean doing nothing.  God has given us talents He desires we invest for His glory right here, right now.  I am convinced God has called me to Australia yet I do not have a visa to permanently reside there or work.  That does not mean that I should be idle until that time!  If my Savior should return and I have to settle my debts with Him, what could I say about burying my talent in the ground?  My dad always says, "Make hay when the sun shines."  When we have opportunity, we should fully use each opportunity for God's glory according to His will.  Jesus said it this way in John 9:4:  "I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work."  Waiting isn't a game or an excuse for sloth.  We are to be focused on our Savior as He leads the way.  Who can say which day will be your last?

Waiting upon the LORD is a privilege.  He graciously gives us wisdom, guidance, and strength for the day.  Remember, the night is coming when no one can work - those are the words of Jesus.  A day was coming when He would no longer walk the earth because of His bodily ascension into heaven.  Jesus had a limited time of physical ministry on the earth (though we are empowered by Christ through the Holy Spirit) and the same goes for us.  I knew that I had a limited amount of time in Australia because I had a round-trip ticket.  We are all born into sin with a one way ticket to hell and we don't know the date or time it must be used.  But when we are born again through faith in Christ, Jesus rips up that ticket to hell and grants us a ticket to heaven - again, we don't know the day or the hour when it will be required at our hands.

Whatever you do, do it heartily as unto the LORD.  Let us be active in our reliance and waiting upon God.  There can be no such thing as a bored Christian.  It is not burdensome to wait for Him, for all He does is perfect in His time.