All in God's Timing

Biblical Waiting

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From a Christian standpoint we are called to wait upon the Lord.

•  “The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him. It is good that one should hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.” Lamentations 3:25-27

What this means is that, while we are not to remain still for our entire lives, there are times we need to stop and listen. We cannot hope to hear him if his voice is being drowned out by us barging on ahead and doing what we “think” He wants. His voice is often quiet, and heard only when we focus on Him.

•   “and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.” 1 Kings 19:12

• “Be still, and know that I am God;” Psalms 46:10

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When we wait for the Lord we are not inactive. On the contrary, we are to be actively seeking insight from His word. This also called your daily “quiet” time. If you are not currently partaking of a devotional each day, you are most assuredly missing out on learning things God want you to know.

These times of stillness have been wonderfully designed by our heavenly Father; for they do not serve but one purpose. They help us learn what He wants from us, but also aid in regenerating ourselves. He uses our time with Him to give us strength; which can be either or both spiritual and physical.

•   But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.  Isaiah 40:31

We also are to use our dialogue (for this is a two way conversation) with the Father to confess of our sins. He always forgives us, but we must ask for it. That un-confessed sin will hinder your relationship with him.

• And it shall be, when he is guilty in any of these matters, that he shall confess that he has sinned in that thing;” Leviticus 5:5

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He listens to us too. He wants us to talk to Him, like Father to child. Tell Him of your troubles and he will give you what you need. Encouragement, healing, whatever else is necessary. You must, however, learn that He knows what is best, and that might not always be what you want.

•   “And the LORD listened to the voice of Israel and delivered up the Canaanites,” Numbers 21:3

He knows the end game. He has seen it already and knows how things will go to reach it. That is why you must submit to His timing in all things.

•   “…God is greater than our heart, and knows all things.” 1 John 3:20 b

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If we don’t, we face the dire consequences of being out of His will. As in the case of Saul. He had been told to wait by Samuel and worried himself into disobeying. The cost was great indeed. His kingdom was through and he was sacked as ruler.

•     “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, which He commanded you. For now the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. 14. But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be commander over His people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.” 1Samuel 13:13-14

For me personally, I have had to learn to wait and listen for the Lord. Circumstances in my life needed much prayer and consideration. The problem was I wasn’t putting all that much effort into it. But through what I believe was God’s intervention, I have been forced to do both. It hasn’t been an altogether pleasant experience, but we weren’t promised that learning and growing would be. I am in fact thankful for this time (as hard as it is).  

We can only be used to our fullest potential in God when we are fully submitted to Him. We can only submit to Him completely when we devote time to listen for His commands.

• “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”  James 4:7

Waiting

As a culture, we are taught from a young age that if we want something we can go and get it right then. Delayed satisfaction is a dirty phrase. Having to wait any amount of time is tantamount to having your human rights violated. We believe, by time we reach adulthood, that when we want something, we have to have it immediately.

            Our TV is on demand, our food is fast and our communication is instantaneous. You can be married on the spot and, in some places, be divorced just as quickly. Our transportation gets faster every year and our technology every two.



            But where is this culture of now leading us? From the standpoint of a foreign national, we appear spoiled and entitled; pretentious even. And why is waiting so bad? "If I cannot have what I want now, it isn't worth having." At least, this is the way our culture thinks.

            And don't misunderstand, I'm not saying that we should have to wait for everything, nor that fast things are bad. But instead I am saying that if we do not temper our extreme need for instantaneous gratification, we will lose our ability to value the true worth of everything.

   Which of the following are you more likely to savor?

     1. Ice cream that came from the frozen foods section at a supermarket.

     2. Ice cream that was made before your eyes.

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The personal time that went into the latter is what makes it worth delighting in. It was worth the wait.

           The same applies to other areas of life too. Take the afore mentioned marriage for example. If it is rushed into, aspects of the relationship may be under-formed. Either person may be emotionally unable to function in this new setting. But if time is given to take the proper measures, both persons can be fully prepared for the actual marriage. The difficulty here being "how long is long enough?" This will depend on the individual and their maturity level.


   The point here is that waiting isn't a bad thing.




Next: Biblical Waiting.