no that is not a typo in the title – however it is another kind of weight, because waiting often weighs me down as I strive against it, wanting to make progress or to feel productive by whatever standards I have set for myself or those standards the culture has set for me.  In any case, for me, waiting becomes more than a minor inconvenience.  Instead, it grows as time passes into a heavy burden, weighing me down as I wait on answers to long prayed prayers.

During these waiting times I am called to continue walking in faith, carrying these burdens with me as I follow in obedience where God leads.  He will let me know when the time comes for me to lay them down.  He will let me know when my wait is over.  Until that time, my wait training continues.  (I must be training for a marathon)

Lamentations 3:25-26 says, “The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul that seeks Him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.”

Well, that may be true – that it is good to wait on God, but it sure doesn’t feel good while I am doing it, not in the least.  Still Proverbs 8:34 tells me, “Blessed is the man who listens to Me, watching daily at My doors, waiting at My doorway.”

And Psalm 27:14 instructs me to, “Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.”  While Psalm 37:7 says, “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.”

So even though things aren’t looking good for me, as good as they are for others, I am to wait for God.  Wait for Him to what?  to show up?  to act on my behalf? Hebrews 6:15 tells me, “When God made His promise to Abraham,  . . .   saying, ‘I will surely bless you and give you many descendants.’  And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised.”

God keeps His promises.  But Abraham had to wait in faith for many years to see God’s promise to him fulfilled.  He had to trust God, not his current circumstances. Abraham had to trust and to wait.  God’s chosen people, the Israelites, spent a lot of time waiting.  They waited 430 years to be delivered from their slavery in Egypt into the land that God had promised to them.  Then, due to their disobedience, they spent another 40 years waiting (and wandering) in the desert, before they could actually enter their promised land.

The Israelites would then spend the next 1,400 years waiting for the Messiah whom God had promised them, the One who was to be their Deliverer, Savior, Redeemer and King forever.  The One the scriptures foretold, who would rescue them from their enemies and reign forever.  Their wait was ended with the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, the One who fulfilled every prophesy of scripture and every promise God had ever made to His people.  Their prayers were answered, Christ had come!  They were no longer waiting on God, trusting Him to do what He said He would do, hoping His answer would come quickly.  It had come (although not so quickly)  God had answered with Jesus’ birth.  The wait was over.

But not for long.  Just thirty-three short years later, they would find themselves waiting on God again.  With Jesus’ death, burial, resurrection and ascension into heaven, waiting began again.  Now we are all waiting, waiting for Jesus’ return.

Jesus promises us in John 14:2-3,  “In My Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you.  I am going there to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with Me that you also may be where I am.”

I have Jesus’ promise He is coming back, and He is coming back for me.  But for now I have to wait on Him.  Revelation 22:20 says, “He who testifies to these things says, ‘Yes, I am coming soon.’ ”  I might wonder about the use of the word ‘soon’, seeing as how it’s been over two thousand years now and we are still waiting on Christ’s return to earth.

But 2 Peter 3:8-9 reminds me, ” . . .   With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.  The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness.  He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”  Definitely something worth waiting for!

As are God’s plans for me, worth waiting for.  His timing – not mine.  No one knows when He will return.  “So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him.”   (Matthew 24:44)

I want to wait well.  I want to wait with hope.  That requires that I trust the One who has promised to return.  I will trust Him with everything that I am waiting to see happen in my life.  Whether two thousand years or two days – I guess I can wait a little longer.  God give me the grace to wait on You as long as it takes for Your good purposes to come to pass in my life and in the lives of those I love   . . .

“I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His word I put my hope.  My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning.”    (Psalm 130:5-6)

sincerely,       Grace Day