Waiting. . . with patience
Psalm 27:14 Wait on the Lord: be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!
Psalm 33:20-22 We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. May your unfailing love be with us, Lord, even as we put our hope in you.
Psalm 37:7, 34 Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices. . . . Wait for the Lord and keep his way, and he will exalt you to inherit the land; you will look on when the wicked are cut off.
Psalm 130:5-6 I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope; my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning.
Lamentations 3:25 The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.
Isaiah 30:18 Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him.
Isaiah 40:31 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 mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.
When the Israelites first were led out of Egypt, they grumbled and complained, wished for the certainty of what they had known even though the conditions they had lived under were not wonderful, they knew what those were, and were getting frightened for what they could not see, the travel and the fear of the unknown.
While in Egypt, the Israelites witnessed the miracles of the plagues God sent on Pharaoh and the Egyptians. They saw this. They saw how they were protected from the loss of their firstborns, animals as well as children. They were told to sprinkle blood over their doorpost with hyssop, and then heard the crying, wailing, and utter bereavement of the Egyptians who had lost their firstborns. They had witnessed miracles.
God gave a bunch of commands and rules and laws—what they could and could not eat, when they were considered clean and unclean, what was considered good, and what was considered not worthwhile. He also gave them the Ten Commandments—and while writing them, the Israelites decided they wanted to have a “god” they could see and worship, something visible to worship. It had only taken a few days for them to mistrust God, and obviously Moses, and they were quick to leave God behind, even after He had delivered water from a rock, parted the Red Sea and ensured their safety while crossing and then ensuring the Egyptians all died as the waters flowed over them. They had experienced all sorts of miracles; yet they chose to run to something THEY constructed, nothing that was a miracle, nothing that would help and feed or supply them with anything.
Although they saw how God helped to ensure they were released from the Egyptians and were promised a land of milk and honey, I wonder how they could so easily be swayed away from God.
I do know that sometimes there are worldly allures that pull us away from God, and temptations which reach out to us. But I do find it hard to think these people could so easily beg Aaron for a visible “god” and then they formed one, threw gold into a pot and formed a molten calf. Aaron had been beside Moses throughout all of this—ten plagues, parting of the Red Sea, seeing water delivered from a rock and so forth. How was it so easy for Aaron to turn aside from his brother and all he had seen? How could he be so easily led away from God and the miracles he had seen and experienced? He was the priest, the religious leader of these people, and yet, he walked away from the true God, within days as his brother was gone for a total of forty days. At the pressure and complaints of the people, he was easily swayed.
How often do we give up waiting, losing patience with God’s promises, and reverting to something to assuage our feelings of loss, frustration, impatience, and try to take matters into our own hands? Certainly, I have railed against waiting, and waiting, and….
Yet, Abraham waited for forty years to have his own son with his wife. He believed and held onto God’s promises. And when God told him to sacrifice Isaac, he willingly packed up the supplies, and carried the youngster to the mountain where he’d been told to sacrifice the boy. He trusted God would provide the sacrifice. He waited, expectantly, all the while doing exactly as God commanded. Yikes, that takes a huge amount of faith! Moses, must have thought, ‘This is my son, Your promise to me. . . the future generations, many persons to resemble the sands in the desert.’
Sara became impatient and encouraged her husband to have a child with her slave. And again, serious issues developed because she had taken matters into her hands; what does it take for us to believe and wait on Him with trust?
There’s an entire book written that encourages us to wait on His promises, that tells us He alone is the ONLY GOD; He alone is with us always; He alone tells us to not fear, not grow weary of trusting in Him. Yet, often, we drift as though on an air mattress tossed into the ocean and without anchor, we doze off, then waking find ourselves much further away from shore than is safe and healthy.
Story after story tells of the need to wait. A savior would be provided; a star would shine in the town to announce the birth; He would be borne of a virgin…. The Israelites waited hundreds of years for a savior. There is always waiting throughout the bible, because that is life. We wait for His promises. waiting is a large part of life. We wait until we are old enough, we wait for the right time–in God’s eyes, not ours, before we can progress, before we can get the promise, the plan He has given to us, wants us to have.
I pray I don’t lose my patience –waiting, and in truth, and then grumbling. It has become easier to wait, but the grumbling and complaining starts. I can usually catch it fairly early on and correct it with a quick scolding, but still it comes. That is impatient, immature, and selfish, self-centered behavior. Not very Christ-like. Help me, Lord, to stand firm on what You have told me.
I believe His timing is perfect. It may still not be my timing preference, but still, I have seen time and again, that He comes and answers. So, I’ve mostly learned to hand over my impatience; sometimes, annoyingly it pops back into my head. So, while thinking of it, I pretend it is in my hands, then raise it to God to take away, so I can no longer actually think of it. It’s in His hands; no longer mine to keep as a “god,” “an idol” to worry and therefore, worship over. That is not honoring and trusting God. And as a believer, that IS what I am supposed to do.
Do I sometimes question? Yes, ‘did You forget me? Did I misunderstand? Am I on the right path? have I messed up somehow all tied up in my plans, not waiting for Yours?’ I do occasionally. Then, I have to sit down and hand over my worries and Satan’s lies; and apologize and just spend time and LISTEN to what He says. Breathe out that impatience I deal with frequently and go back to trusting and waiting.
Trust God and His timing. Remember Satan lies and tries to make you feel your’e missing out, you’re better (or worse–depending on the picture he is trying to give you) so there is no need to wait. Satan wants you upset, doubting, impatient, mistrustful. Don’t let him bully you and challenge your trust in God. You already know our God is good, He’s got a good plan for you–a plan to prosper and not hinder.
Lord, You know although my impatience is improving, it does continue to raise its ugly head at times. But I know You are steady, You are right and generous and in the right time, Your time, Your plans will unfold in my life. Thank You for tolerating my impatience and using the Holy Spirit to help me improve. My Father, thank You for all You do for me and’mybellaviews.’
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