When Waiting…
While some people may have more patience than others, no one really enjoys waiting.
If they did, you would find people at the amusement park, standing in line for the roller coaster, and just as they reach the front of the line, they would surrender their seat on the ride and return to the rear of the line just for the joy of waiting.
No one does that.
Instead, we look at waiting as that frustrating place between what is and what will be. Dead space and time. A waste of opportunity and a pause on progress….but is it really?
King David had a storied ascent to power. His pathway was so full of twists, turns, intrigue and redemption that it would have been hard to anticipate even a portion of it, much less the whole. At times, it had to be exciting for the young man - even if it was simultaneously terrifying.
Even for all excitement, David wrote a lot about waiting. Repeatedly, he writes things like…
Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord! (Psalm 27:14)
Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the Lord! (Psalm 31:24)
David associated waiting with growing.
I don’t think that means he enjoyed it anymore than we do, but for him to repeatedly pair the idea of waiting and being strong and encouraged, it’s clear he saw waiting as key to his development in the Lord.
Many people waste their waiting, and come out the other side weaker than they started, if they come out at all. When they look back, all they remember is the hardship.
The most ready example of this might be the shut down or quarantine times so many of us have gone through in the last year. Unable to go about their regular lives, some people looked at the entire year as lost time, while others took the time to learn knew skills or explore new areas of study. Both waited, but not everyone was strong and encouraged.
If you’re in a season of waiting right now - you are asking God to move or change circumstances but for the moment, nothing is happening, consider these things to help you while you wait….
Reduce distractions in your life.
The Lord speaks even as we wait. This gift of waiting can be a season of hearing from Him on a variety of things, but man people fill their time with lesser pursuits. David thought any pursuit other than God was a lesser pursuit. He said
One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple. (Psalm 27:4)
You may think, “Well, if I were king, I’d have the flexibility to do that sort of thing, but I have responsibilities….”.
Actually, in the verses immediately before that passage, David speaks of an army being encamped against him. He was responsible for his men and his kingdom as well as his own family - but even though he needed to attend to those things, he would not allow himself to be distracted.
No doubt he took care of business, but he didn’t entertain too many varied interests during his days of waiting. He tuned his heart to God.
Resist the temptation to grow dull.
God’s timing is perfect, but when it doesn’t match our expectation of a quick response, we can check out. Sometimes we would prefer to settle for our mediocrity rather than wait for His perfection. When we do that, we lose the sense of anticipation or wonder of God.
Before he was surrounded by the king’s court, David spent significant amounts of time alone and outdoors. He watched his father’s sheep on the hillsides, often staying awake into the night. Funny things happen when we stay up late.
There’s a reason we tell people to count sheep to fall asleep - it’s not the most exciting thing to do.
Yet even in what some might call a dull season, David had a sense of wonder. Even when he wasn’t seeing the fulness of God’s plan, he looked for signs of God’s presence.
The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. (Psalm 19:1)
Take the time you are given to wait and turn it into a treasure hunt of sorts, looking for the hand of God at every turn as you wait. When you find Him in the details, it gives you faith to see Him in the big picture.
Waiting may never be fun, but it does not need to be wasted. May this season of waiting be as rich as the day the answers to your questions are revealed to you.
