Season Of Waiting

“But now, Lord, what do I look for?
My hope is in You.”
(Psalm 39:7)

The word wait in the Bible carries the idea of confident expectation and hope.  It is with surety that we can wait on God, knowing and meditating on past encounters that God not only bring you through but He will deliver you victoriously!

Patty and I have been going through some times of waiting. Waiting for God to prepare us to receive the reward of promises He made long ago.

We see this opportunity the Lord has appointed as one to stretch out our faith, and hone our willingness to better hear Him. 
For the record, we find ourselves in a most familiar place. Waiting for us you see, has become a place of expectation, as God works out all that is holding us down from moving and doing His will in preparation for when He says, run!

We are thankful to God that He is willing to spend more time with us in this waiting time of work then we are within ourselves. Changing how you’re use to doing things to listening, hearing God speak and showing us His way can be challenging! 

Jesus said?to His disciples, “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matthew 26:41)

We find ourselves looking and trusting, taking God at His Word more and less upon our own familiar ways to lead us through. God is willing to wait with us, even though He is already doing the work in us while we’re waiting on Him!

Waiting on the Lord is about holding on tight, hoping with expectation and trust, knowing that our Lord is not making us wait just to see how long we can “take it.” 

There are times when God will delay His answer, and we will at times wonder why He seems so reluctant to intervene in our affairs: 

David wrote in Psalm 69:3 “I am worn out calling for help; my throat is parched. My eyes fail, looking for my God” 

But, knowing the Lord, we trust that He will come at the perfect moment, not a second too soon or too late.

Waiting is part of life. Seems everywhere we go there is a line of wait. Waiting for your Starbucks in your car, Waiting in line at the bank, Waiting in the ‘self-checkout ‘ at the grocery store, waiting is part of our physical life.

Sometimes waiting can be for the GOOD.
The farmer waits for his crops to mature. 
“Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.” (James 5:7-8)

In a baseball game the batter waits for his pitch and if he is patient and KNOWS what pitch he’s looking for he will receive his reward. At a track meet the runner waits for the starting pistol. 

But there are situations where waiting is sometimes dangerous. Many illnesses could have been treated if the person hadn’t waited so long to be treated.

A person in a pool or at the beach discovers he’s not as proficient as he thought as he begins to sink isn’t interested in being asked to “wait a minute” before being tossed a rope. 

Spiritually why do so many wait to make peace with God? Why not follow Him today? Why put off things we know need doing? Sadly, this kind of waiting is a dangerous thing.

Which leads us to this passage, a real man named David who because of his own sin finds himself not in good terms with God finds his own self confidence wasn’t sufficient and being ashamed because of his negligence and not waiting on God finds it hard to come up with the right words to speak to God. 

Listen to him: “And now, Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in You.” (Psalm 39:7). 

A good question. When it comes to being what the Lord wants me to be, then what am I waiting for? 

“AND NOW , LORD, FOR WHAT DO I WAIT?”

I believe that God ultimately speaks through His Word, and when we’re reading His Word while we are waiting on the answer, when we’re seeking His face in our personal and group prayer, and while we are doing the everyday things in life, God will be busy preparing you to to receive the answer when He opens the door for you to walk through.

And so while we wait on the Lord to speak into our hearts the direction we prayed for be active in your waiting time, be actively waiting for Him in His perfect timing to speak:

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.“
(Psalm 32:8)

Watch with expectancy, but be prepared for unexpected answers
(Psalm 5:3).
“In the morning, Lord, You hear my voice;
in the morning I lay my requests before You 
and wait expectantly.”

Put your hope in His Word:
(Psalm 130:5-6).

“I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits,
and in His word I put my hope II wait for the Lord
more than watchmen wait for the morning,
more than watchmen wait for the morning.”

Trust in the Lord, not in your own understanding:(Proverbs 3:5-6).

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.”

Resist fretting, refrain from anger, be still, and choose patience while you are WAITING 
(Psalm 37:7-8)

“Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him
do not fret when people succeed in their ways when they carry out their wicked schemes. Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;
do not fret—it leads only to evil.”

See this WAITING time as an opportunity to experience God’s goodness 
(Psalm 27:13; Lamentations 3:25).

“I remain confident of this II will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living…. The Lord is good to those whose hope is in Him, to the one who seeks Him.”

WAIT for God’s promise instead of going your own way (Acts 1:4).

“On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard Me speak about.
Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful with thanksgiving.” (Colossians 4:2).

Remember the blessings yet to come In Your season if WAITING Isaiah 30:18).

“Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; therefore He will rise up to show you compassion.
For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for Him!”