Waiting On God

"I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.  [14] Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the Lord!"  

Psalm 27:13-14

Waiting on someone is very different than waiting for someone.  We are only too familiar with waiting for things or people:  waiting for your turn in line, waiting for your birthday to arrive, or waiting for traffic to start moving again.  I remember as a kid waiting for my friends to arrive at my house.  Half an hour before the set time I would occasionally peek out the window at the sound of any car.  I was completely preoccupied with waiting.  All my hope rested upon my friend's mom bringing him at the prescribed hour.  Sometimes friends were early, late, or they did not show at all.  I am only too familiar with the truth of Proverbs 13:12:  "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when the desire comes, it is a tree of life."  I am familiar with it because I've been on the heartsick side of it more times than I'd like to remember!

As I wait for opportunities to minister in Australia on a full-time basis, God has taught me a lot through waiting.  For years it seems - especially the last eighteen months - there has been a temptation for me to wait for God, rather than wait on Him.  When I become impatient God has revealed to me it is due to a lack of faith.  Impatience occurs when we are reluctant to wait upon God's timing.  If I trusted God perfectly, knew His plan was ideal, and looked to Him continually, why should I be impatient for anything?  It is when we focus on circumstances and others that we become dissatisfied and frustrated.  Frustration occurs when our will is being hindered.  Something so simple as waiting can be used by God as a divine tutor which strips us of our false impressions concerning our own faith.

We are all filled with strong faith, no doubt (wink, wink).  Just like we all think we are great drivers and the other guy need to figure out the difference between the accelerator and the break, we often see ourselves in too favorable a light when it comes to spiritual matters.  In the words of Job 12:2 "No doubt you are the people, and wisdom will die with you!"  Spurgeon said, "The best men see themselves in the worst light."  Only a humble man will grow in wisdom, understanding, and faith.  He sees his enormous need and is willing to submit himself to God without strings attached.  Waiting has been a challenge to me because it has forced me to honor God above my calling, and regard His timing as infinitely superior to my own.  My futile plans must be scrapped and I must press on in faith, waiting on the One who has called, redeemed, and anointed me for His glory.

Waiting for God can cause us to lose hope, while waiting on the LORD causes us to grow in strength.  Waiting for God blinds us to our purpose because we block our own view to God with our agenda.  But when we wait on the LORD for His plan to unfold, we are able to be used by Him when the time comes.  Bitterness, disillusionment, disappointment, and confusion attend those who wait for others or even themselves.  I remember a Daily Bread devotional (from 1994!) which emphasizes the point of struggle in our lives, even in something as seemingly trivial as waiting.  An excerpt from Joanie Yoder's devotional contains an example which is profitable to consider:  "... I was reminded of the story of a man who took home a cocoon so he could watch the emperor moth emerge. As the moth struggled to get through the tiny opening, the man enlarged it with the snip of his scissors. The moth emerged easily—but its wings were shriveled. The struggle through the narrow opening is God’s way to force fluid from its body into its wings."

In our foolish ambition we would always shorten the process.  But in God's wisdom, He has allowed just enough time for us to be refined and perfected so we can be usable for His purposes when the time comes.  He does not make it so hard for the emperor moth to emerge that it kills the moth, but makes it a struggle for a purpose:  the struggle makes the moth capable of flight.  God wants us to soar on the wings of eagles while we are content to run with the dogs.  Wait on the LORD, my friends.  Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.