Waiting

Waiting goes hand-in-hand with pondering and, though not always easy to do, the results are certainly worth the effort.

The story of Jesus unfolds one day at a time, just as our lives do. There was no button Jesus or his family could press that would leap them forward in the story. They had to walk out the plans of God in their lives like everyone else and there was a lot of waiting.

We often miss this truth as we reflect on the life of Jesus. The gospels tell the story of Jesus, but they do not all give the same amount of detail. Matthew begins with the entire genealogy of Jesus and then jumps to his birth, while Mark begins with John the Baptist and Jesus’ baptism at thirty years old! Luke gives the longer narrative of Jesus birth, including the famous dramatic monologue of Linus in A Charlie Brown Christmas, and John begins with a more philosophical reflection on the Word.

In every case, the story moves rather quickly and in just a few verses, or a couple of chapters at most, Jesus is a thirty year old man beginning his ministry. So, it is easy to see why we get the feeling that Jesus’ life was always full of ministry activity and moved along quickly. The truth is, it took the same time it take us, including time spent waiting.

Waiting is an important part of the spiritual life. In spite of living in a time where our digital world moves quickly, exploring the deep things of God comes by slowing down and waiting on God to speak and lead. This is exactly why the adult Jesus is seen making regular time away to wait in prayer. Waiting on God puts us in a position to hear the profound whispers of the Holy One in our lives, and to breathe deep the breath of the Holy Spirit.

Take a moment to ponder these few verses:

But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. – Isaiah 40:31

I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living! Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord! – Psalm 27:13-14

Our soul waits for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. For our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name. Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you. – Psalm 33:20-22

There are many more, but clearly, the Scriptures affirm the value of waiting on the Lord.

If you are anything like me, you can find yourself impatiently waiting for things to happen. I can become impatient waiting for my computer to start, and that takes less than a minute. We’ve been trained to expect things to happen quickly and to reject things, places, and people who make us wait, but this is exactly the opposite of what draws us to the deep revelation of God.

Whether it is making time in our daily devotions to quietly wait to hear from the Lord, or patiently enduring the circumstances of our lives as we wait for God to grow us and deliver us, waiting is essential to an intimate relationship with God. That, therefore, makes it an extremely valuable tool in living an effective, powerful, victorious Christian life.

We cannot rush God, so instead, we allow God to teach us how to patiently wait. Like Jesus, who grew one day at a time, so we trust our growth and our future to God as we wait upon him. We come before the Lord, still our hearts, and wait patiently for the still, small voice of the One to speak, and we savor the time in his presence. What a way to spend another day of Christmas, and what a good thought as we plan for a new year!

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2 thoughts on “Waiting

  1. Amen! ..I often find myself not wanting to wait it out..(.Just seeing and knowing from past experience that God’s plan is best . I get so excited in anticipation I want things to happen “Yesterday”..) During “Waiting Times” for myself some very fruitful pruning often occurs. .I find it is a needed thing and then I become more focused and directed for what may lay ahead. I am in better spiritual health to understand and walk forward. Our spiritual health needs “Quiet times”..and as equally so, we need listening time for God!

    1. Waiting can be very difficult, but, as you said, it is rooted in trusting God. I also find pruning happens when God holds me in those seasons. In the end, I am always glad I waited, but the process itself is quite challenging.

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