We often find ourselves in a place of waiting. There seems little that we can do but wait. There can be excitement in the waiting. For instance, when you are waiting for the baby to arrive which is mixed with both apprehension and excitement. Maybe you have booked a holiday and you simply can’t wait for the day when you step on that plane or arrive at that destination.
We are in the middle of a covid pandemic, but we don't know if we are in the middle or near the end. But we are all waiting. For some of us, the waiting is causing deep anxiety and our mental health is taking a hammering.
Sometimes you are in a place where God is not making things clear to you so you begin a period of waiting till he does. It might be concerning your work, promotion, or change of employment. Maybe you have been made unemployed so you wait in the hope that another job will materialize soon. I find myself in a place of waiting. At this time in my life, I am unable to move forward. There is no clear path ahead. I know that I cannot make any clear decisions until other things are sorted. I feel frustrated at times. I have a sense that I cannot make progress but need to wait and trust. That is where I find things difficult. As the Psalmist says 'wait patiently for the Lord' Wait patiently for the LORD. Be brave and courageous.
Yes, wait patiently for the LORD. Psalm 27 v 14
To wait and to trust in God. To trust in God is to believe that God has a plan. To believe that God knows the future. To believe that the future he has is good and not bad. But we are not just to wait but to wait PATIENTLY. This is a challenge for us. Yes, wait indeed, but often it is an anxious wait that hopes the wait is not too long and that the wait is worth it as it delivers something you are hoping for. When we look at things purely on a human level it is easy to despair.
How will things happen?
When will things start to become clear?
How are things going to change?
When will I know what to do?
So many more questions arise as I wait. The dictionary definition of the word ‘wait’ To stay or rest in expectation; to stop or remain stationary till the arrival of some person or event; to rest in patience; to stay; not to depart. Where in the Bible do we learn about God in the Waiting? There are countless verses in the Scriptures that tell us to wait on the Lord. But why might we find this so difficult? Is it because we have become too impatient? That we live in a fast-moving world of technology where answers come at the press of a button? Or that we simply want to move on and get the thing done? We live in a world of ‘I want it now’- so we say ‘I can’t wait any longer- ‘ and then we take things into our own hands and make decisions that are not the wisest because we didn’t wait ‘ Just think of the speed of the latest computer technology in comparison with the computers of only a few years ago. Think of the computers used 50 years ago to put a man on the moon. Compare that technology with what we have today. Technology is so much faster. 5G will bring more speed and greater changes.
So, we want it and we want it now!! o Maybe you are in a job situation that’s really tough to endure and you are waiting and hoping that conditions will change for the better. o Maybe you are without a job and waiting for news on an application. o Maybe you are ill (or have a loved one who is) and waiting for your health to improve. o Maybe you are on a diet and waiting for your weight to drop a few pounds. o A single person may be waiting for Mr. or Miss Right. o Or maybe you are waiting for your spouse or child to become interested in spiritual things. Our lives rotate around the wheel of waiting. We may not enjoy the process but hopefully, we will the outcome.
Just hang it there-
THERE IS HOPE- YOU ARE NOT ALONE