Ps. 33:18-22 – ‘Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him, on those who hope for His lovingkindness, to deliver their soul from death and to keep them alive in famine.
Our soul waits for the LORD; He is our help and our shield. For our heart rejoices in Him, because we trust in His holy name.
Let Your lovingkindness, O LORD, be upon us, according as we have hoped in You.’ (NASB)
As we come to the final part of our stay in The Waiting Room, Let us consider what it means to wait on God.
(Late comers might want to check out part 1 and part 2 before reading on.)
I remember watching The Karate Kid, and there was a scene when the wise shīfu told the impatient student,
“Being still and doing nothing are two very different things.”
While there are probably multiple things that can be drawn out from this statement, what it made me consider was that being still was an active endeavour; it is not easy to hold your peace in the midst of aggravating situations. But someone being still and someone doing nothing sometimes look similar outwardly, don’t they? Indeed they do. I would suggest then, that the differing factor is the attitude involved: one attitude stems from a choice to not be anxious or fret but to trust God, while the other stems either out of irresponsibility or giving up.
From the teachings of Scripture, we know that God is a rewarder of diligence, not slothfulness. Here are a few examples:
Heb. 11:6 – ‘…But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.’ (NKJV)
Prov. 13:4 – ‘The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, but the soul of the diligent is made fat.’ (NASB)
Heb. 6:11-12 – ‘…And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you will not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.’ (NASB)
God wants us engaged, not detached from what we’re going through. When we’re waiting on Him, He doesn’t want us to be absent-minded or passive, but attentive and expectant. For example, the last passage quoted above talks about the diligence required for the realization of the hope, faith and patience needed to inherit the promises of God. Yes, He does all things according to His counsel and will, but He also blesses and responds to our efforts.
I remember talking about this particular topic with a friend, and she said,
“I always relate ‘waiting’ [on God] to the more historical use of the word which is about being attentive to whomever you are waiting on.”
If waiting on God is indeed being attentive to Him, then it takes a persistence in our asking, a faith in His promises and character—and this all comes from submitting to His sovereignty, searching out the word of God to better know His heart.
Are you waiting on God for something? Do not falter in your prayers! Keep petitioning Him that He might grant unto you whatever good thing you are praying for in line with His will. Do not fall into the trap of being inactive; don’t let your mind or faith fall asleep like the disciples did in the garden. Wait on Him; you might just find that, before you know it, it is time for whatever you have been waiting for, and you would have missed it if you fell asleep while you waited.
Undoubtedly, this has only scratched the surface of this topic, but I do pray it has been of some encouragement to you at least. Maybe this can be like one of the reading materials you find in waiting areas to keep you engaged (not distracted like they usually do) while you wait.
“Lord, today You know what I need to do; but I believe You can do more in my waiting, than in my doing I could do.” – Bethany Dillon, ‘To Those Who Wait’
