Friday, April 30, 2010

WAITING?


HOW LITTLE TRUE WAITING MOST OF US REALLY DO.
"Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait I say, on the Lord."

Psalm 27 is one of the best-known and most comforting Psalms in the Psalter. But it is hard to know whether it is chiefly a Psalm of confidence, written against the dark background of David's many enemies, or chiefly a lament in which David cries out for help against implacable foes. The reason for the confusion is obvious. The first half of the Psalm (vv 1-6) exudes confidence. The second half (vv 7-14) is a very moving prayer.

The 'Wonderful Counselor' exhorts His followers to be strong in Him. He asks them to trust as He had trusted, and they will find as He had found. May the Spirit help us to act out this precious lesson! May He so nerve our spirits that no despondency may ever weaken! And may our eyes be ever raised to heaven, waiting until mercies issue forth. If they tarry, still let us wait. In due time surely they will come.

Do you ever get tired of "waiting?" Be honest - I think we all do. We live in a world of rushing - "hurry up and wait" seems to be what happens however. We must learn to wait on the Lord. We wait at his door with prayer; we wait at his feet with humilty; we wait at his table with service; and at times, we wait at his window with expectancy.

The verse tells us to be of good courage, a soldier's motto - be it mine. As we learn to wait he shall strengthen our hearts - a strong heart makes a strong arm. Wait in quiet patience, not rebelling because you are under the affliction, but blessing your God for it. Never murmur against the Lord like the children of Israel did against Moses when they wanted to go back to the world again, but accept the case as it is, and put it as it stands, simply and with your whole heart, without any self-will. Tell God, "Not my will but yours be done."

I will wait and keep my heart fixed upon you alone. O God, my spirit waits for Thee. As David waits for the Lord, he prays. God has his timings, which are not ours, and therefore what we pray for and need is sometimes delayed. What then? Are we to despair of having answers, to lose confidence? Not at all! We simply need to wait.

There is a great deal in the Bible about waiting for God. The lesson cannot be too strongly enforced. We easily grow impatient of God's delays. Much of our trouble in life comes out of our restless, sometimes reckless, haste. We cannot wait for the fruit to ripen, but insist on plucking it while it is green. We cannot wait for the answers to our prayers, although the things we ask for may require long years in their preparation for us. We are exhorted to walk with God; but ofttimes God walks very slowly.

Have you prayed and prayed and waited and waited, and still there is no manifestation? Are you tired of seeing nothing move? Are you just at the point of giving it all up? These questions only prove to us that waiting for God is not easy. Often it seems that he isn't answering our prayers or doesn't understand the urgency of our situation. That kind of thinking implies that God is not in control or is not fair. But God is worth waiting for. Lamentations 3:24-26 calls us to hope in and wait for the Lord because often God uses waiting to refresh, renew, and teach us. Make good use of your waiting times by discovering what God may be trying to teach you in them.