Transparent Waiting

Isaiah 40:31 "They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; and they shall walk and not faint."

Isaiah 49:23 "You will know that I am the Lord: for they shall not be ashamed that wait for Me."


Waiting is something we all have to do. I said it before, we have to wait for birth, we have to wait for meals and we have to wait in line at grocery stores when someone is pricing comparing. The funny thing is I don’t mind waiting sometimes! When I am baking a cake, I don't mind. When I am in a long line, I don’t mind... as long as I am not in a hurry. But for the most part, we all have to wait every day of our lives. You would think we would learn how to wait patiently after a while. Yet when God calls us to a time of waiting, we begin to sound like J.G. WENTWORTH screaming, "I want it now!" How dare we, as the created, demand "our due" from the Creator! All of these "name it, claim it" prayers we do aren't giving Him glory, they are seeking glory for us and then we just put a "God stamp" on it saying He blessed us. If we take account of all that we have named and claimed until we got it.... essentially whining like spoiled toddlers, we could write a book and tell of how it so was NOT worth it!

Now, don’t get me wrong. I have been there. I have had a detailed description of the car, the house, the HUSBAND, the job, etc that I want "now." I actually had the nerve to assume my God's was Burger King and I could "have it my way." Uh uh! He does not say I will give you glory. No, He says that HE will get the glory. This sometimes means at the expense of us if we are too proud to back down. His Word is clear, and because He never changes, we can rest assure that He will get the glory... at all cost. He is a jealous God (also in His Word Exodus 20:5) and He WILL have His way!

So why not wait? This is what I have learned while waiting on God. When I step out of line, His longsuffering allows for me to try it "my way" while knowing I am bound to fall at some point. He then picks me up and holds me as a mother holds a crying child. He is also just so there are consequences I may have. Much like a baby learning to crawl or walk, He will pick me up and put me back where I started until I get it. One of MY consequences is just the starting over. I hate to do things over! I would rather just pass over it than start again! Whenever my teachers would take my work and tell me to do it over, I'm sure if we were a cartoon strip I would have steam coming from my head and flames from my eyes! Yet His gentle and firm hand picks me up and places me back where I was to begin. Not to laugh while seeing the flames and steam emerge from me, although I used to think so, but to give me another chance! I have NEVER thought of it that way! He gives us multiple second chances yet we see it as more needless waiting. If we would only learn the first time and heed His instructions and warnings, which are clearly on the Label, we would only have a short wait versus "40 years of wandering."

Don’t you desire to be the fullest for God? Don’t you desire to be all that you can be for Him? No? You have too much to do you say? You can’t seem to find enough hours in the day to spend time with Him you say? Perhaps that’s why you lost your job and are now applying furiously and impatiently, while He waits patiently for you to seek His will for your life. Perhaps you had a bad break up from a relationship that was not only draining YOU but draining your relationship with God. If only we would look at our lives as His creation and here for His glory instead of Him being here for us.

 
There is only one thing that should be swift, one decision we should be making quickly, and that’s surrendering our lives to Jesus and asking Him to come in our hearts. Once we declare Him as Lord and Savior and believe that God sacrificed His only Son for us and then raised Him from the dead for us, the same people who live in vain every day, the wait is over! We could live our whole lifetime, whether that is seven days after surrendering or 70 years, learning to love Him as He loves us. We could then begin to see ourselves as He does, holy. The waiting.... would be worth the wait. It will be when we see Him face to face.

Father God, I thank You for Your tremendous, never ending grace and mercy You bestow on us. I thank You that You are an ever loving example of how we are to be with You as well as others. I thank You for Your patience with me God, for I certainly am in need of it every day! We are an impatient group, Your children, Lord and I just ask You to teach us how to be more like You when it comes to waiting. Bring us to the place where we can sit in Your presence and be content while waiting on You to deliver, to save, to bless, to call us. Give us Your purpose for us Lord and with that purpose give us the strength to wait on You. When we don’t want to wait Lord bring us to our second chance with a gentle reminder that You are God and You are still on Your Throne. I pray this in Jesus name, Amen!

What are you waiting for? If you have not yet surrendered your WHOLE life to Christ, now is the best time to do it! It's the only thing we should NEVER wait another day to do! Say this prayer after me, "Lord, I am a sinner, forgive me. I don’t like to wait for anything yet I make You wait for me to invite You in. No more. I repent of all my wrongdoings and acknowledge, God that You gave Your only Son as a ransom for me and then raised Him from the dead for me. Jesus I speak that YOU are the Savior (saving grace) and Lord (Head) of my life. Take over, I give you my burdens and take on Yours. Thank You for waiting on me even when I wouldn’t wait on You. In Jesus name, Amen!