Waiting...

In our fast paced world, waiting is not easy for most of us.  Our society thrives on instant gratification and having patience is a thing of the past.   We have texting, microwaves, email, airplanes, DVRs, drive through restaurants, fast lanes on the Interstates, and even Internet shopping.  All these inventions are helpful, but they have spoiled us and made us lose the joy and beauty of what it means to wait.  My mama always told us as children that one of the greatest joys in life was having to wait for something and then finally being able to receive it; she was big on this when it came to toys, electronics, etc. that we wanted as children.  Of course we thought she was crazy at the time because we couldn't understand why our friends' moms would buy them whatever they wanted, when they wanted while we had to wait for a birthday or Christmas to come along, but I am now forever grateful for the life lesson she taught my brother and me through this.

I have never been called a “patient person,” and Daniel and I are in a time of waiting as we excitedly expect the arrival of our baby girl soon.  Of course this type of waiting is nothing compared to other instances in my life where I have had to wait, but it has been a challenge in its own way.  Our daughter was due this past Saturday, and of course we did all of the things to try to make sure she was here early or on time.  We were ready to meet her!!  We had a doctor’s appointment yesterday and were told that I had not progressed at all… still just ½ cm if that.  At first I was sad that I had begun my maternity leave and had this time off but no baby to share it with, and then as I spoke with several of my friends and family who encouraged me to enjoy this time I had off, the news quickly changed into an unexpected blessing. 

See, if I had been in control, I wanted to finish work, have a weekend to ourselves, and then have Emersyn arrive this past Monday when I would normally be going back to work.  Turns out, unless she changes her mind, I will probably have this whole week off to myself and when we visit the doctor again this Friday we will discuss an induction for next week.  As I was lying in the bed this morning, I could not stop thanking God for once again rescuing me, and orchestrating my life for the better.  I realized that I have not had a week off to be at home in 2 years!!  I have taught summer school the past 2 summers and the weeks I have had off during Christmas or spring break, we have been out of town on vacation.  I am a “goer” and LOVE to fill my days off with plans, but sometimes it is so refreshing to “be still.”  I am thankful that I will probably have time each morning this week to sit and be still before the Lord as long as I want.  Oh how I have neglected making time for that in the craziness of life.  I am thankful that I will probably have time to spend with my family and friends this week that so often get neglected and pushed to the side.  And I am also thankful that I will have time to rest and enjoy these last few days before my life so wonderfully and drastically changes. 

Looking back over my life, some of the greatest blessings have arrived after a season of waiting.   I have waited and prayed for godly friends, a husband, where to go to college, jobs, buying a home, finances, lost souls, sicknesses in those around me, and more.  I would love to elaborate on each of the experiences, but will save that for a future post perhaps.  Really our whole lives should revolve around trusting and waiting on the Lord, and expecting Him to do great things.  Maybe you are waiting on:

• A new job or a career change
• A godly spouse
• Becoming pregnant
• The salvation of a friend or family member
• Results from the doctor
• Direction regarding an important decision
• Healing from a loss
• The strength to forgive

In this time of waiting right now, take time to be still in the Lord, turn it over to Him, and enjoy growing in your faith trusting that His ways are higher than ours.  One of the longer waiting seasons in my life was waiting on the spouse God had created for me.  Let me tell you, the wait was more than worth it in the end.  God outdid Himself by giving me Daniel, but the waiting period was not always easy.  I can remember driving 30 minutes to work each morning and listening to praise and worship music and hearing “While I’m Waiting” by John Waller for the first time.  I was in tears driving down the interstate listening to the message, “I will serve You while I’m waiting.”  I encourage you to listen to it below, read the verses and quotes, and use your seasons of waiting to grow stronger in the Lord and joyfully serve Him.

Isaiah 40:31-33
“Those who wait in the Lord will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

Psalm 37:9
"For evildoers shall be cut off; but those who wait on the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.”

Psalm 33:20-22
“Our soul waits for the Lord; He is our help and our shield.  For our heart shall rejoice in Him, because we have trusted in His Holy name.  May your unfailing love be with us, Lord, even as we put our hope in You.”

Psalm 130:5-6
“I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His word I do hope.  My soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning, yes, more than those who watch for the morning.”

“Biblically, waiting is not just something we have to do until we get what we want.  Waiting is part of the process of becoming what God wants us to be.”      John Ortberg

“To wait on God means to pause and soberly consider our own inadequacy and the Lord’s all-sufficiency, and to seek counsel and help from the Lord, and to hope in Him.  The folly of not waiting for God is that we forfeit the blessing of having God work for us.”       John Piper

“Stand still, keep the posture of an upright man, ready for action, expecting further orders, cheerfully and patiently awaiting the directing voice; and it will not be long ere God shall say to you, as distinctly as Moses said it to the people of Israel, “Go forward.”
If the Lord Jehovah makes us wait, let us do so with our whole hearts; for blessed are all they that wait for Him.  He is worth waiting for.  The waiting itself is beneficial to us; it tries faith, exercises patience, trains submission, and endears the blessing when it comes.  The Lord’s people have always been a waiting people.”      Charles Spurgeon