“Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord! [1]
Do you have days when your aspirations seem to be on perpetual hold?
Some years ago I heard a pastor share a message that has stayed with me. The title of his message was: Don’t Waste Your Wait. More than a play-on-words, the title helps me remember when I’m forced to wait, that I can choose to make it a productive time.
We do not get through life without learning to wait. It’s not possible for anyone to escape the waiting process. You may find yourself waiting as you’re reading these words.
Waiting tends to annoy me. Aside from my desire for instant gratification, it can be horribly uncomfortable when I feel as if I’m on continuous hold. I’m inclined to act, rather than wait.
Last week I addressed the thin line between waiting and acting ["Wait Or Act"].
The Psalmist frequently reminds himself – and us – to “wait on the Lord.” He understands: To bypass the waiting process only delays the benefits we discover by waiting. Although I’m prone to encourage God to act sooner rather than later, I’m also aware that (as one author writes): “Before God moves suddenly, we will wait.”
Before each significant advancement in Jesus’ ministry, he waits: for the right time. But Jesus does not waste his wait! He is in communion with God; listening and discerning the will of Father God.
That’s my encouragement for you, today: That you will not waste your wait. As you wait, choose to submit yourself to God’s purpose, rely on His wisdom, and remember you have a choice in how you will wait.
There are two ways we can choose to wait: passively or expectantly.
A passive person takes the attitude: “I’ll wait and see.” They may hope that something good will one day occur, but until it does, they embrace a lethargic waiting posture. As one person said: “A passive person has a wishbone but not much backbone!”
The expectant person believes that waiting is God’s way of preparing him/her for what’s coming. They wait with anticipation and with a posture of humility, recognizing that God is allowing their “wait” to prepare them for what’s ahead.
My prayer for you is that you will attend to the Psalmist’s encouragement: “Wait for the Lord.” God desires you to walk WITH Him; not in front of Him or behind Him. Let’s not waste our wait!
[1] The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989), Ps 27:14.