One of the hardest things to do is wait. However, waiting takes up a huge amount of our time and effort. I would like to share a couple of experiences with you. Throughout my walk with the Lord, some people have said I pray for unusual things. Years ago, when my girls were quite young, we went camping on the back side (opposite of Portland) of Mt Hood in Oregon. It was a remote spot with none of what we all call the "creature comforts". We were using our van as opposed to a tent. I was really excited about the possibility of seeing a bear out the window during the night. I remember the van being shaken in the early morning hours. However, I was so cold I did not want to raise up out of my sleeping bag and take a look. Low and behold, the next morning there were all kinds of animal tracks, including bear, around the van. My loss! God answered my request, but I let my comfort keep me from receiving my blessing. Just recently, I had some sweet little birds build a nest inside a birdhouse that is a short distance from our front door. We can watch the parent birds as they fly in and out feeding their young. If we were sitting very still at the patio table, they would do their duties as we enjoyed the show. Again, I prayed for a special blessing. I wanted to see the young fly out of the nest. Sure enough, I was taking a nap right inside the door one day and something hit it and woke me up. I almost went back to sleep but instead made the effort to get up and look through the glass. A baby bird had tried to fly and in fact, flew into the door. It was stunned a bit but continued its attempts and flew from ground to chair, then chair to table and finally off to the trees with mom. I continued to watch the house when finally, a second little one appeared and gradually flew to back of chair then to table and off to the trees. If I had gone back to sleep, I would again have missed the answer to a special request.
Waiting on the Lord is, in a way, similar to my two experiences. Isaiah 40:31 is a favorite to many Christians: "But those who wait for the Lord--who expect, look for and hope in Him--shall change and renew their strength and power; they shall lift their wings and mount up (close to God) as eagles [mount up to the sun]; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint or become tired." That is from the Amplified Bible.
Waiting is an action word. It is the opposite of being passive. We are anticipating something. Sometimes it takes a long time to receive the object of our expectation. "Hope deferred makes the heart sick but when the desire comes, it is a tree of life." Proverbs 13:12
When we are young, we can't wait to grow up. We wait to get married. We wait to have children. We wait to buy a house. We wait for the computer to load. We wait in line at the grocery store, the gas station, the stoplight... wait, wait, wait. Life is full of waiting. However, the most fulfilling "waiting" is, actively waiting on the Lord.
As we wait on the Lord, keeping the eyes of our heart on him, seeking him through worship, prayer and the Word, waiting becomes a thing of life. We can almost feel the very breath of God and almost see the look of love and encouragement on his face as he cheers us on and strengthens and comforts us with the words implanted deep in our spirits, "Hold on my Child! Joy comes in the morning". As the Psalmist said, "Wait for the Lord, be strong and let your heart take courage, wait for the Lord!"
2 Peter 3:4 tell us what the enemy of our soul throws at us: "Where is this coming he promised?" In verse 9 and 10 of the same chapter we have this: "The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. But the day of the Lord WILL come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and works that are done on it will be exposed." Peter goes on to say we need to live holy lives, waiting and hastening his coming. Waiting for new heavens and a new earth full of righteousness. All these things are true!
Don't allow yourselves to become discouraged, disappointed, depressed, hopeless, helpless or despondent. Encourage one another as a runner alongside the other to keep running. Keep focusing on the Goal and in the meantime, as Isaiah encourages, exchange your strength for Christ's because in our weakness, He is made strong.
We can and we will receive the answers to our prayers, "Even so come quickly, Lord Jesus." Whether we go to be with him or meet him in the air, it will happen. Any other "waiting"; placing our attention, efforts, devotion or hopes on any "gods" of the things of this world or of Satan will only bring results of suffering and death.
"Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead and Christ will shine on you." Ephesians 5:14. We are also encouraged in that chapter to "be filled with the Spirit" and to encourage one another.
I love how the Lord speaks through everyday life experiences, like wanting to see a bear, or see a fledgling fly. The lesson may be, pray about everything, expect the answer; "know" that He loves you and is trustworthy and that He does not lie, but keeps His promises. The rest is to walk in His love while you are waiting; practice His presence by getting to know him "more deeply and intimately" as the apostle Paul desired (Philippians 3:10) and "love one another deeply". Be an active "waiter" and Peter seems to indicate we can hasten that day by living holy and godly lives. I like to use a capital "G" as we allow His Righteousness to fill us. If we are spreading the Good News of the Gospel in our own "world" of influence, we will not have time to become impatient as we "wait"!
Waiting with love along with you, Brothers and Sisters!
