wait.

i like waiting. usually. i don’t know if it’s because i enjoy being left alone to let my mind wander, or i like people-watching, or maybe because i have an iphone to keep me forever entertained... whatever the case, i rarely find myself getting impatient. 

this day was no different, i sat at a nearby table and resorted to simply letting my mind wander... my rambling thoughts didn’t last long when they were suddenly interrupted by a woman who was only a few people behind me. she was shouting at the girl behind the restaurant counter. “i just want my food now... i don’t care if it’s fresh or not!”

i was rather surprised considering i would take fresh food over lamp-heated food any day. “are you kidding?!” i thought, “it’s fresh - the best - and only a short wait! who knows how long that food has been sitting there... 

why aren’t you willing to wait?... i would wait for just about anything, if there was something better coming...

suddenly, i was no longer thinking of food. 

in this society, we are bombarded with instant everything. instant dinners. instant coffee. instant pudding. instant relief. instant cash. and probably hundreds of other things you want and can have in an instant. in fact, it has completely permeated our way of thinking... so much so, that our lives are ridiculously fast-paced and waiting often only frustrates us. 

even when it’s waiting on God...

i am so willing to wait for food, but all too often i have not been as willing to wait on His guidance, something significantly more impacting! a decision that could potentially change the entire direction of my life... and i’m not willing to wait? that doesn’t even make sense. 

looking back on some of the most pivotal decisions of my life, i can recall being frustrated that God wasn’t giving me clear direction immediately. so i would take action, all of which were good, but i was wrong in expecting that my action would motivate his timing. i would read God’s Word, searching for an immediate answer. i would seek counsel, expecting someone to tell me exactly what to do. i would review sermons, listen to good music, or read good books hoping the direct will of God would reveal itself to me. and after doing all of that, and still not knowing, i would write, because i write when i don’t know what to do. in doing that, i was inadvertently doing exactly what i was supposed to be doing - waiting.

“Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.” ~ Psalm 27:14

the word “wait” that is used in this verse is found in the Word of God 27 times. this waiting is a trust, a patient reliance that God will direct in His perfect time. and with almost every one of these “waits” comes an expectation or a promise.

“...those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth... Wait on the Lord, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee...” ~ Psalm 37:9,34

“... what wait I for? my hope is in thee.” ~ Psalm 39:7

“...we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the Lord, we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.” ~ Isaiah 25:9

“The Lord is good unto them that wait for him...” ~ Lamentations 3:25

waiting patiently doesn’t mean you will know the result immediately. this waiting is knowing that God has your best interest in mind, therefore you will wait until the end. because you trust Him. no person has ever put their whole trust in God and regretted it in the end. throughout the Bible, throughout history you can read of men and women who trusted God, waited, and found that perfect peace in doing so, whether His will was revealed or not. one of my favorite songs that describes such peace is “Like a River Glorious.” the last two lines always bring a smile to my face, because i have seen the results of trusting Him completely. the lines say, “we may trust Him fully all for us to do; they who trust Him wholly, find Him wholly true.”

that same perfect peace can be yours too. complete reliance in your Heavenly Father, knowing He loves you more than any one. so trust Him. wait on Him. who knows what He will do while you wait. all to often, we are so busy looking for the end of a thing, whether it be a trial or a “chapter” of life, that we miss out on all the wonderful things that come along the way. 

so, wait and enjoy waiting.