Waiting Well
Sometimes we feel like our whole life is spent waiting. Waiting to check out at the grocery store, waiting at red lights, waiting for a pot of water to boil. All of those waits are normal parts of modern life. But some waits feel heavier. Waiting for a good report from the doctor. Waiting for a loved one to come to faith. Waiting to conquer that pesky sin that always seems to pop back up.
In today’s verse, we’re told to wait for the Lord — and while we wait to be strong and courageous. But what does it really mean to wait? Sometimes, while studying scripture, I find it helpful to use a dictionary to really understand the meaning of certain words. Sometimes we think we know the meaning of a specific word, but then when we read a definition, we have an “aha” moment. That’s what happened to me with the word “wait”.
An online search of the word wait yielded an expected definition: (v) stay where one is or delay action until a particular time or until something else happens. This definition tracked with my thoughts about waiting. You sit and wait passively at a red light; therefore, you sit and wait passively for the Lord.
I kept reading, I digested some other definitions and found this one: (v) remain in readiness for some purpose. “Remain in readiness” connotes action. This definition is an active waiting.
When the Lord calls us to wait, He is working. That doesn’t mean we’re to be inactive on the sidelines. We’re in one place, and we’re there until God tells us to move. BUT as we are still, we should be actively preparing ourselves to be ready to do whatever God calls us to do, when He says to move. Sometimes what God tells us to do isn’t what we thought we were waiting for. In those moments, we need to put aside our desires and trust that God has our best interests at heart. We should wait in a state of readiness by reading the Word, praying, and getting to know the Lord more intimately.
What about those times when you want answers RIGHT NOW? They make waiting patiently very difficult. We can take heart with Paul’s prayer in Colossians 1:11 that says we are:
Being strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy.
God could give us answers with the snap of His fingers, but we would be robbed of the waiting time where our relationship with the Lord is being strengthened. God did not need the Israelites to wander in the wilderness for 40 years (YEARS! And sometimes I get impatient waiting 15 minutes for someone to text me back), but he used that sweet time to teach the Israelites and strengthen their faith. If you’re waiting, take heart, God is working. He is teaching you and strengthening your faith, even if you can’t see it right now. (If you need some scripture to meditate on while waiting, check out Isaiah 40:31, James 1:3-4, and Lamentations 3:25.)
There can be a sense of stillness in the waiting because it doesn’t depend on me, and I can also use those moments of stillness to ready myself for when the Lord says move. Armed with the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:14-17), we can be courageous and strong as we wait on the Lord.
LIFE-GIVING ENCOURAGEMENT
What are you waiting for? How can you move from passive waiting to active waiting?
PRAYER
Lord, help us in the waiting. Help us to wait actively and then be willing to go wherever You want, when You say move. Amen.
Julie loves traveling, National Parks, reading, and creating. She lives in Delaware with her wonderful husband. Together they have four awesome kids. She’s excited to share what the Lord has placed on her heart with all the Daily Treasure readers. She prays that these devotions are a blessing to you!
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Sharon W. Betters is a mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, pastor’s wife, and cofounder of MARKINC Ministries, where she is the Director of Resource Development. Sharon is the author of several books, including Treasures of Encouragement, Treasures in Darkness, and co-author with Susan Hunt of Aging with Grace. She is the co-host of the Help & Hope podcast and writes Daily Treasure, an online devotional.
Contact Sharon with comments or questions at dailytreasure@markinc.org.
