Yeah, About Waiting
OK so you're waiting. Waiting for something exciting, or waiting for something possibly bad. Either way, waiting is hard. Either way, you may have a rapidly beating heart when it crosses your mind. How do we stay present? Some of us are saying temporary goodbyes for the summer, some are waiting for loved ones coming home from school, serving our country, the hospital, or just for a long awaited visit! Some are saying "goodbye" until we meet again in heaven. At the end of the day, we can only say "see ya soon - LORD WILLING."
The Bible is pretty clear about this in James 4:15 where it says, "Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. Instead, you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that." And because it says this we should do what it says! Right?! So even when we "think we know" what tomorrow holds, we really still have to trust - A LOT MORE THAN WE REALIZE! TRUST NOT WORRY!
Matthew 6:34, "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself..." He knows the future and so do we let go and trust God? I often find myself doing self-talk something like this, "either HE is God, or He is not. I believe He is, and so I believe HE is in control, and he will make all things work out for the good. I believe what Romans 8:28 says! "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."
I think that the way we stay in the present, is number 1, stay in His Word and be in prayer. When we are connected with Jesus daily, His truth, His presence brings all the fullness and fills in the gaps of between "now" and "then". John 17:17 says, "Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth." Part of the waiting is in turning to Him for truth and being changed by it. 2 Corinthians 3:18 puts it this way, "And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit." Staying in the "present" is transformational! Seems like an oxymoron, but just like a butterfly cocoon, time brings out the beautiful, even when that time is painful. I've never met a believer yet who has gone through hard seasons of waiting and did not at the end testify to the greatness of God's grace. Sometimes in the middle it gets yucky and the waiting isn't pretty. It's OK to be real about life. It's more than OK, it's necessary! Our vulnerability lets the Body, the believers, come along side and build us up, or perhaps be built up!
As far as fearing bad news, the Lord is pretty clear about great ways to keep busy "in the mean time!" And guess what? It's really fulfilling and gets your mind off yourself! Psalm 112:6-9 says, "Surely the righteous will never be shaken; they will be remembered forever. They will have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord. Their hearts are secure, they will have no fear; in the end they will look in triumph on their foes. They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor, their righteousness endures forever; their horn will be lifted high in honor." Notice that they are busy while they are waiting and trusting, busy sharing life with the poor. This is a common theme through out the Bible.
It says in Isaiah 58:6-9, "Is this not the fast that I have chosen: To loose the bonds of wickedness,To undo the heavy burdens, To let the oppressed go free, And that you break every yoke? 7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out;When you see the naked, that you cover him, And not hide yourself from your own flesh? 8 Then your light shall break forth like the morning, Your healing shall spring forth speedily, And your righteousness shall go before you; The glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. 9 Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; You shall cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’
And finally, Proverbs 31:25 says, "Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come." So I've said it before, being a Proverbs 31 woman is impossible! But, being in a community that relies together on the Lord and His grace, IS POSSIBLE! Oh wait, that ties back to that "vulnerability" thing! We are meant to do life together! So let's work together on this "waiting thing." It's hard. I don't like it. At times I make myself sick over it! BUT!!! I just finished telling two of my girls in my girl's Bible study, and then today a friend, all who have just recently had a prayer answered that they had waited for a long time, that in the end God delights in answering our prayers. A long time of sweat, seeking, praying, worrying, and then trusting, and reading Scripture, reaching out, and the cycle wound it's way to the "midnight hour" and God was glorified in a way that makes you just want to jump up and down! Seriously, I did! All three times! Just think of His joy knowing that we are going to literally jump, cry, laugh, tell others, run to Him, adore Him...And there you have it, God is glorified as our faith grows. Growth takes time.
I am not saying that we always get the grand finale fireworks answer that WE WANT. But God talks about all this waiting in Hebrews chapter 11, also known as the faith chapter. HE starts by saying, "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." HE then goes on to describe all the people of faith in the Bible and how they had to wait. The chapter concludes with sobering words, but when you think about it, they are the truest and best answer one could ever want...the best is to be with Jesus. "Others suffered ... 38 of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.39 And all these,though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, 40 since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect." The ultimate promise is life eternal with God! So, we want to be about sharing that good news! We want to be about helping the poor and needy. Lord help us stay in today. I don't know if this is helpful about "waiting." I needed it for my soul today. So there you have it, my heart typed out.
The Bible is pretty clear about this in James 4:15 where it says, "Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. Instead, you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that." And because it says this we should do what it says! Right?! So even when we "think we know" what tomorrow holds, we really still have to trust - A LOT MORE THAN WE REALIZE! TRUST NOT WORRY!
Matthew 6:34, "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself..." He knows the future and so do we let go and trust God? I often find myself doing self-talk something like this, "either HE is God, or He is not. I believe He is, and so I believe HE is in control, and he will make all things work out for the good. I believe what Romans 8:28 says! "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."
I think that the way we stay in the present, is number 1, stay in His Word and be in prayer. When we are connected with Jesus daily, His truth, His presence brings all the fullness and fills in the gaps of between "now" and "then". John 17:17 says, "Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth." Part of the waiting is in turning to Him for truth and being changed by it. 2 Corinthians 3:18 puts it this way, "And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit." Staying in the "present" is transformational! Seems like an oxymoron, but just like a butterfly cocoon, time brings out the beautiful, even when that time is painful. I've never met a believer yet who has gone through hard seasons of waiting and did not at the end testify to the greatness of God's grace. Sometimes in the middle it gets yucky and the waiting isn't pretty. It's OK to be real about life. It's more than OK, it's necessary! Our vulnerability lets the Body, the believers, come along side and build us up, or perhaps be built up!
As far as fearing bad news, the Lord is pretty clear about great ways to keep busy "in the mean time!" And guess what? It's really fulfilling and gets your mind off yourself! Psalm 112:6-9 says, "Surely the righteous will never be shaken; they will be remembered forever. They will have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord. Their hearts are secure, they will have no fear; in the end they will look in triumph on their foes. They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor, their righteousness endures forever; their horn will be lifted high in honor." Notice that they are busy while they are waiting and trusting, busy sharing life with the poor. This is a common theme through out the Bible.
It says in Isaiah 58:6-9, "Is this not the fast that I have chosen: To loose the bonds of wickedness,To undo the heavy burdens, To let the oppressed go free, And that you break every yoke? 7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out;When you see the naked, that you cover him, And not hide yourself from your own flesh? 8 Then your light shall break forth like the morning, Your healing shall spring forth speedily, And your righteousness shall go before you; The glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. 9 Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; You shall cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’
And finally, Proverbs 31:25 says, "Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come." So I've said it before, being a Proverbs 31 woman is impossible! But, being in a community that relies together on the Lord and His grace, IS POSSIBLE! Oh wait, that ties back to that "vulnerability" thing! We are meant to do life together! So let's work together on this "waiting thing." It's hard. I don't like it. At times I make myself sick over it! BUT!!! I just finished telling two of my girls in my girl's Bible study, and then today a friend, all who have just recently had a prayer answered that they had waited for a long time, that in the end God delights in answering our prayers. A long time of sweat, seeking, praying, worrying, and then trusting, and reading Scripture, reaching out, and the cycle wound it's way to the "midnight hour" and God was glorified in a way that makes you just want to jump up and down! Seriously, I did! All three times! Just think of His joy knowing that we are going to literally jump, cry, laugh, tell others, run to Him, adore Him...And there you have it, God is glorified as our faith grows. Growth takes time.
I am not saying that we always get the grand finale fireworks answer that WE WANT. But God talks about all this waiting in Hebrews chapter 11, also known as the faith chapter. HE starts by saying, "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." HE then goes on to describe all the people of faith in the Bible and how they had to wait. The chapter concludes with sobering words, but when you think about it, they are the truest and best answer one could ever want...the best is to be with Jesus. "Others suffered ... 38 of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.39 And all these,though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, 40 since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect." The ultimate promise is life eternal with God! So, we want to be about sharing that good news! We want to be about helping the poor and needy. Lord help us stay in today. I don't know if this is helpful about "waiting." I needed it for my soul today. So there you have it, my heart typed out.
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