The Lost Art of Waiting

Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. --Psalm 27:14

This is probably one of the most simply worded verses in the Bible. The concept is one that can be applied to so many situations. Grasping the concept isn't that difficult; the execution however-- particularly for those of us living in the microwave and instant message world--leaves a bit to be desired. There are two ways we can wait. We can do so willingly and patiently, or unwillingly and impatiently. Either way, God wants us to wait on him and rest assured knowing that in the right timing, his plan will be carried out. Psalm 138:8 says that God will fulfill his purpose for our lives.

It has been said that patience is a virtue. Those who waith without complaining about how long things are taking are made of some pretty stern stuff in my opinion! I admit that I am not very good at waiting. In college I would work myself into a frenzy at the end of each quarter as I waited for grades to posted. These days, waiting in traffice tries my patience. Sometimes I get a bit antsy if I don't recieve a reply to an email within a day or two. I am learning to be more patient because I can see that I can get much more accomplished if I patiently go about my business instead of wasting all that energy.

In the scope of God's goodness, we know that it is worthwhile to wait on him. We cannot always see or understand what he is doing in our lives, but we know that he is in charge. Instead of being impatient for the things we want to have happen ASAP, we can ask God to give us his strength. With his strength, we can withstand anything...even a long wait.

Wait for the Lord. Don't worry about missing an opportunity that is from God. If it is something he really wants for your life, then he will make it quite obvious when the time comes. I don't think that it is in his plan to be sneaky or secretive about what he wants in our lives. His plan will be made known...in time. Just wait for Him. Good things come to those who wait. Have the patience to let the good things come from God and not from your own attempts to get something done because you prefer not to wait.