they who stand and wait

Waiting gets a bad rap in our world today. We wait in traffic. Wait in line at the grocery store and restaurant. We wait for people who are late. We wait for someone to take action that we cannot. We wait on someone to learn what we already know. We wait for fresh donuts…

God’s had me in this classroom of waiting recently. There’s this possibility He’s brought into my life that is unexpected and exciting. (note: I am not talking about a male) But everything’s gone into slow-mo. For months. And y’all, I’ve wanted to bolt for the door of that waiting classroom God has me in. Escape. Bounce off the ceiling. Claw through the walls. You get the idea.

But here’s what I’ve been learning.

Waiting requires work           

Waiting on God doesn’t magically happen. It’s not our default setting. Anxiety, frustration, manipulation, full-speed-ahead, agitation, depression, and resignation are all much more natural. That’s why David shakes himself out of his depressed state with a drill-sergeant like, “My soul, wait thou only on God…” in Ps. 62.  Then he takes the rest of the Psalm to rehearse for himself the who and why of that. And we can do the same. But it’s going to take work. Ongoing. Deliberate. An intention turning away from my natural response and turning toward God, fixing the eye of faith on Him. Waiting, on God.

Waiting appears useless

My life is wasting away. I better pull some strings. I should make a call, shoot an email, pace the floor, do a little passive aggressive thingy…I thought all sorts of stuff like this. And I began to miss the people, needs, joy, love and service that were right in front of me. You see waiting and doing are not mutually exclusive. Waiting piggy-backs on what I know is God’s will for me right now. And when people rush to get to the next thing in God’s plan, it never goes well. Hagar and Ishmael come to mind and the prodigal son. You could name more. But type “wait on God” and like phrases into the search bar of your Bible software and let the passages wash over you. God is clear: there is tremendous value in the wait.

Waiting takes time

I know, right? Obviously. But in God’s economy there is no hurry up. No rush delivery. No snowflake before the last leaf He wants on the ground drops. There is a season to everything. A time. A God who sees a thousand years as a day and a day as a thousand years. I may panic as the grapes seem to rot and sour. He smiles at the rich wine that is to come. He makes all things beautiful in His time. Do we believe that? Then we will let time unfold.

Waiting is worship

When I chose to trade anxiety and unrest for prayer a million times a day.  When I chose to think on things that are true. When I work hard at what is in my hand instead of pining for what could be soon. When I fill my mind with the God who is behind the wait. When I do these and more, I worship. You see,  it’s in the waiting that I find the strength to loose my grip on  the treasure of what might be and light it with a holy fire. A sweet oblation. An acceptable sacrifice. You do not have to ___________,God. But if you do, I am ready and willing. And if you don’t, I am ready and willing.

That is when our spirits become unburdened to rise and soar like an eagle on the wing. That is when we know a renewed and enduring strength for whatever lies ahead. Friends, these promises in Isaiah 40 are given to those who wait. They are given to us.

God doth not need either man’s work or his own gifts; who best bear his mild yoke, they serve him best. His state is kingly. Thousands at his bidding speed and

 post o’er land and ocean without rest:

They also serve who only stand and wait.

~John Milton

Beth