We are all waiting for something.
And each one of those waits, however big or small, are shadows of the ultimate wait that eclipses all other waits...the return of our Savior: for the day when faith becomes sight, when tears are wiped away, when we will know even as we are fully known.
I've been praying the Lord would take the things I am waiting for and use them, above all, to remind me to wait expectantly for His return...to pray for it, to long for it, and to be compelled to live with a sense of urgency among believers and unbelievers alike. But I also want to wait well. I want to wait in such a way that draws my eyes from the situation to the Savior, from the trial to the Teacher, from the unknown to the One who knows all things. I don't want to waste my waiting being selfish and inward focused, growing discouraged, or being consumed with what is beyond my control.
It is not easy. What I know to be true must inform what I think, which then informs how I feel...but I am prone to wander in my thoughts. I take what I know to be true and allow it a short vacation so my thoughts of self-pity and discouragement can visit for a while. And then I wonder why my feelings are void of joy and my heart knows no peace. I don't know about you, but this battle is REAL!
So, I need real help. I need to take every thought captive and slay those thoughts that seek to raise themselves up against the sovereignty and goodness of God. In this battle of the mind, I need the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God...we all do.
One of the passages I have been meditating on and working to put to memory is Lamentations 3:22-26:
"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. 'The Lord is my portion,' says my soul, 'therefore I will hope in Him.' The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord."
We are all waiting for something. The question is, are we waiting well?
And each one of those waits, however big or small, are shadows of the ultimate wait that eclipses all other waits...the return of our Savior: for the day when faith becomes sight, when tears are wiped away, when we will know even as we are fully known.
I've been praying the Lord would take the things I am waiting for and use them, above all, to remind me to wait expectantly for His return...to pray for it, to long for it, and to be compelled to live with a sense of urgency among believers and unbelievers alike. But I also want to wait well. I want to wait in such a way that draws my eyes from the situation to the Savior, from the trial to the Teacher, from the unknown to the One who knows all things. I don't want to waste my waiting being selfish and inward focused, growing discouraged, or being consumed with what is beyond my control.
It is not easy. What I know to be true must inform what I think, which then informs how I feel...but I am prone to wander in my thoughts. I take what I know to be true and allow it a short vacation so my thoughts of self-pity and discouragement can visit for a while. And then I wonder why my feelings are void of joy and my heart knows no peace. I don't know about you, but this battle is REAL!
So, I need real help. I need to take every thought captive and slay those thoughts that seek to raise themselves up against the sovereignty and goodness of God. In this battle of the mind, I need the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God...we all do.
One of the passages I have been meditating on and working to put to memory is Lamentations 3:22-26:
"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. 'The Lord is my portion,' says my soul, 'therefore I will hope in Him.' The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord."
God never changes and never runs out of a supply of new morning mercies, steadfast love and faithfulness. They are wrapped up in His very nature and what He gives to us every day of our lives. Therefore He is enough, because He gives us Himself and there is no lack in Him. In Him, we have a full portion of everything we need for life and godliness, and that brings great hope into our reality. So...what are we to do when He doesn't feel enough, when we want a portion of something other than Him, when we are feeling more hopeless than hope-filled? Wait. Wait with expectation to see His goodness revealed. But also wait with patience, wait with a quiet spirit...not scheming, devising or planning in hopes of moving the heart of God. Instead, seek Him...seek Him in His Word...His precious words that are living and active and food for our souls. Cry out for His salvation and wait till you are satisfied in Him alone. And then keep waiting as you rest in His goodness, mercy and love.
We are all waiting for something. The question is, are we waiting well?
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