The Lord is good to those who patiently wait for Him,
to the soul who seeks Him.
Lamentations 3:25
The definition of waiting is, the action of staying where one is or delaying action until a particular time or until something else happens. For the born-again believer, the application takes on a more complete meeting, simply because of the Lord. Waiting is bound to patients. Or maybe a more accurate statement would be, constructive waiting requires patience. The quality of our patience can be gauged in how we choose to wait, again a much different exercise for a believer. We all must understand, it is very much a choice.
Becoming irritable, upset or angry doesn’t usually affect our wait time, but it brings a negative effect upon us and those around us. If we demand that we shouldn’t be made to wait, we elevate ourselves above others and the ensuing pride diminishes our character among those around us as well as ourselves. The world may not care about such things, but as a Christian we should.
Then there are those times that things are altogether out of our or anyone else’s control? It is those times regardless of the situation we are in or despite the reasons, waiting is the only option. In those times we can be challenged most. And it is those times where that choice becomes even more important.
Many times, the hardest place we have to wait is within ourselves. Despite others encouragement or compassion, the wait is ours and it can be a lonely and desolate place. At this point, we must ask ourselves, will we trust in the Lord, will our soul seek Him in order that He may grant us His patience?
At its core, patience is about being quiet before the Lord. This for many is one of the hardest disciplines to learn and the most difficult to apply. Too often it comes down to an issue of control. When we profess the Lordship of Jesus Christ in our life, the exercise of that profession is to patiently wait on Him within the trust of knowing who He is.
When we bring this all together, how we choose to wait is a direct reflection of the extent we make Christ the Lord of our life. That may sound like a harsh statement and our flesh will always try to convince us otherwise. However, we must also move from the negative aspect of waiting and for that matter Lordship and begin to understand the positive elements God wants to accomplish in us. Lamentations clearly states that the Lord is in fact good to those who choose to patiently wait for and on Him. The soul who seeks ferventally seeks Him. Once again, the choice is ours. A choice to patiently wait, to trust and to yield or to exert our own control and take our life upon ourselves.
The shortest distance and therefore the quickest duration between two points is a straight line. Rarely in our lives are we in a position of straight lines, but even when we are, it still takes time for that point to travel. In this inevitable time of waiting, what might the Lord want to accomplish in you? If you truly place your trust in Him, though it most likely won’t change the wait time, what change might happen inside of you?
Jason Metz, Lead Pastor
