What to Do in the Waiting?

     I taught our one-year old Cocker Spaniel to "wait" for her treats or before bolting out the door on a walk. Today, she had torn the head half off her little stuffed moose toy and I was repairing it. She sat patiently watching me thread the needle in and out of her toy, until she could wait no more and started pawing at my hands to release it. I told her to "wait," the command she's familiar with, and she sat back down and waited until I was done and threw it for her. She bound off after it. 

    My own ability to wait, is much more limited. I can hear the Lord saying to me, "wait," a command He knows I haven't learned well and I paw at the Lord to relieve me of the pain, the problem, or the issues at hand. There's too much time in the waiting. Waiting requires trust, faith, patience, and hope. Sometimes, waiting doesn't seem fair, other times, it's just unbearable watching the destruction occurring in front of me, helpless to stop it, and yet what else can I do? 

    The Bible reminds us over and over that waiting on the Lord, patient endurance, is rewarded by God. Some examples are Psalm 37:7, "Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him." "Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; yes, wait for the Lord!" (Psalm 27:14). Finally, Lamentations 3:25, reminds us that "The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul that seeks him." 

    What can we do when we struggle with waiting? Ask the Holy Spirit to fill us with His fruit of long-suffering/patience, give us the fruit of self-control so we don't push past God's warning signs, and ask for the fruit of hope. God wants us to live abundantly filled with hope; "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope" (Romans 15:13.  

    The next time you grow impatient with waiting, stop and pray. Ask God to work His will into your life while you are waiting, learning to trust in God's character, and have faith in His plan for your life. 

Psalm 29:11 (NIV) The LORD gives strength to his people; the LORD blesses his people with peace.