Wait

 In our culture today, WAIT is a detested word.

We either want to STOP completely or just GO do what we want to do.

Wait is always in the middle of stop and go - but who wants to wait?

When we see that yellow light pop up at the intersection, our first thought is to "squeeze that lemon!"

Let's be honest; in our humanness, to wait feels like a waste of time.

Who wants to: 

• wait in line?
• wait in traffic?
• wait for their package to arrive in the mail?
• wait for the next big thing?
• wait for a sickness to end?
• wait for a loved one to get back home?
• wait for a time of hardship to end?
• wait for their plans and dreams to be fulfilled?

In the last few years, the Lord has been stretching me and taking me out of my comfort zone of control in more ways than I can count. He has been making me WAIT for His timing and purpose in:

• Living through and trying to teach in the COVID years.
• Adjusting to life after the COVID years.
• My dad's sickness and death.
• Both of our "babies" getting married the same year within a couple of months.
• News of medical test results.
• Hearing if our daughter-in-love was accepted to our Vet school nearby.
• Knowing we had to wait four years until our son and daughter-in-love could move back home from where the Lord chose for her to attend Vet school.
• Adjusting to seeing our son and daughter-in-love from a distance of 8 hours.

I will be transparent - these moments have been overwhelming and a struggle. I have wanted them to end. I know I am not alone as I have many family, friends, and acquaintances who are walking through similar circumstances.

Recently, the Lord has continued His molding of me becoming more like Him through what I am learning in His Word, as well as these two books that He has led me listen to on Spotify: 

• God Does His Best Work with Empty by Nancy Guthrie 

and, most recently, 

• Waiting Isn't a Waste: The Surprising Comfort of Trusting God in the Uncertainties of Life by Mark Vroegop

The Lord has been using all of those waitings listed above - and even more that right now do not come to mind - to teach me to empty myself of what I *think* is best and WAIT on Him and His timing for all things.

There is an old saying, "Let go and let God." It is so easy to say and quote, but much harder to put into practice.

Let go of and let God DO - what? I want to know RIGHT NOW. I immediately want to know His plans, purpose, and how He will fulfill my desires. I do not want to have to wait for any of it!

But my desires are not always what God has planned. I do not see what He sees. I do not know what He knows. I am not Him.

I have gotten to the point in my walk with the Lord that I feel very inept in knowing what is best anymore. This is actually a good thing. In emptying out my own knowledge and replacing it with WAITING on the Lord's timing and plans, I am becoming less dependent on me and more dependent on the One who only wants the best for me.

Scripture teaches so many examples of waiting yet we do not always read it that way. It is easy for us to read through a passage of Scripture and notice the travails of Joseph as he is sold into slavery by his brothers, accused of wrongdoing, and sent to prison only to then be lifted up to the second-in-command of Egypt. We can read that portion of Scripture in just a few minutes. However, those portions of Scripture covered at least 20 years! 

If one only reads through the Psalms (and that is just one of many books), there are many references to waiting on the Lord. Here is just a small view of what can be found:

• Psalms 25:3 - Indeed, none who wait for you shall be put to shame; they shall be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.
• Psalm 25:5 - Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long.
• Psalm 25:21 - May integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for you.
• Psalm 27:14 - Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!
• Psalm 37:7 - Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!
• Psalm 40:1 - I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry.

In the emptying of MY thoughts, hopes, and dreams, and waiting on the Lord, He is teaching me the value of letting go and letting Him take care of the details. 

• To wait means to hope.
• To wait means to sit back and watch HIS plans unfold.
• To wait means to rest in Him.

That does not mean that every moment of waiting is a perfect scenario for me. It just means when my anxiousness begins to arise and my "hurry up!" attitude starts to surge to the surface, the Lord gently reminds me to stay close to Him and WAIT. Waiting is never a waste of time. Waiting is allowing God to put all things together in HIS time.

Where might you be waiting today? Hurry up and WAIT on the Lord. 💗

This song is part of the Album "Inhale (Exhale)" by Mercy Me. Most of the songs on this album were written during the COVID pandemic. The Lord taught me alot through that time of life. While I never want to go back to it, I am thankful for what the Lord showed me and how He grew me in the waiting.