Purpose-Filled Waiting (8/23/10)

Shalom,




Please begin by reading Psalm 40:1-3.



The first line of this Psalm is something we're not always very good at doing. Waiting and patience don't seem to be habits admired or practiced by the modern person. When we look at the life situations of the people around us, our current society and culture, patient waiting isn't practiced with much enthusiasm. It seems that the people who serve us or wait on us aren't used to people who patiently wait. In fact they're usually extremely thankful to those who show them some courtesy.

I know I've been blessed to be told that it was so nice that I was patient when things didn't move quickly. I didn't huff and puff over how inconvenienced I was by not getting super-fast service. Just the fact that I accepted any delays was a blessing to the people who were serving me. This shows how rude and impatient much of our scoiety has become when not overreacting is viewed as something rare.



I believe we can say that the opening verses of this Psalm speak to us the following thought: "Hang on, there's a way out." Or maybe you remember what Yahweh said to Moses when the Israelites were faced with the sea on one side and the Egyptian army on the other. "Be still, Yahweh will fight for you" (Ex 14:14). Of course the promise of Isa 40:31 is pretty good, too. "Those who wait on Yahweh will find new strength." We need to have the kind of faith and trust in Yahweh that provides the strength to wait. As long as we're living on this earth and bound by time, we better know that there are going to be delays and problems that we'll have to deal with.

When we reach the end of of ourselves, the place where we have no more ability to handle a situation, that's when we truly need to look to Yahweh for help and deliverance. There is always a way out of our problems with his help. We don't have to feel frustrated or angry or overwhelmed by the ongoing troubling situations of this world. Yahweh does hear our heartfelt cries and does provide real help. The word "wait" in Isa 40:31 means to hope for, to be patiently looking for Yahweh. When we have biblical hope, we trust that Yahweh is coming to our aid and we're actively looking for his arrival.

Our circumstances, spirituality, education, or financial means don't matter in these situations. Nothing we have or own is the answer to our problems. Because problems come to everyone who lives on this earth. There's no place we can go to avoid the effects of this fallen world. But there is a God we can trust in to help us.

We can't give in to the pressures. We'll only bring bigger problems to ourselves when we begin to look for man-made solutions. We must remain strong and resolute in trusting Yahweh to meet our needs. We must stand strong in our faith and look beyond the circumstances we find ourselves immersed in. We must allow Yahweh to work things out for our good. Know this, Yahweh doesn't control us like pets, making us wait to receive some special treat. We don't have to do tricks for him or do some task to get a reward, but things do work much better when we're actively seeking his help.



The phrase "waited patiently" is very interesting. It's actually the same word used twice. Instead of simply waiting, it's referring to waiting with hope and eagerness and expectation. It's a looking for the good things that Yahweh will bring, and having confidence that he will certainly be faithful. The idea I get is that I can patiently wait, with expectation and true hope, for Yahweh to work out my troubles instead of struggling on my own and actually making things worse.

The main idea here is that Yahweh is working according to his timetable and schedule, his plan and purpose. The situations and circumstances we encounter in this life can cause us stress We all too often become impatient trying to hurry along the resolution of our difficulties. The advice here is to cry out to our Father in heaven and allow him to work on our behalf. He promises to lift us out of our troubles and place us on secure ground where we can walk without stumbling.

Do you know the growing cycle of the Chinese bamboo tree? When it's planted, nothing much happens for the first four years. Then at some point in the fifth year it will grow around 90 feet in six weeks. Now, did it grow that much in six weeks or in five years? Sometimes Yahweh seems to be moving at this kind of pace when we look at our situations with just our human eyes.

Sometimes it seems like our Father is taking forever to deal with "our" issue. If we're not expectantly waiting for his help, we may get very impatient and give up before he works everything out. Some of us are in such a hurry to get answers to our problems and concerns that we're not willing or interested in waiting on Yahweh to work for us. At times we're so selfish that all we're concerned with is whether or not Yahweh has provided us the answer we demand. Don't ever forget that he may answer in a different way than we expect, and only a heart that's patiently waiting for him will be likely to see this.

Waiting on Yahweh with true patience has purpose. It's not an aimless pursuit where we're just hanging out until we hear from him. As we wait for answers to our probelms we should be continuing to do our Father's business. In the midst of our struggling we should be doing the works of the Kingdom. And a benefit of doing this is that we're not just sitting around totally focused on our stuff. When we're focused on doing the Father's business we don't end up fretting and stewing in our selfish pursuit of answers. Doing his business keeps us at peace and the passage of time isn 't wearing on us.

Good and proper waiting requires focused prayer. If we're patiently waiting for Yahweh to answer our cry, we'll be offering Kingdom-minded prayers. Luke 18:1 says, "One day Jesus told his disciples a story to illustrate their need for constant prayer and to show them that they must never give up." When we trust our Father we don't get the attitude that he's not listening so why should I bother. Eph 6:18 tells us, "Pray at all times and on every occasion in the power of the Holy Spirit. Stay alert and be persistent." Persistence is Yahweh directed.

And if we wait patiently we're told that Yahweh will give us "a new song to sing." When we expectantly hope in his response, our perspective changes. Things look different when our eyes are set on heavenly things instead of our troubles. We act differently when we know help is on the way. We're not in the panic mode, stressed and uncertain of our future. We know Yahweh is faithful and will touch our lives in a way that blesses us and raises us above our earthly troubles and struggles.

When we fall in love our perspective changes. We've all seen the difference in someone who has a new love. We walk around humming love songs. People see the dreamy look in our eyes and know someone has touched our heart. We walk around bubbling over with happiness. That's the kind of thing people should see in us because we're in love with our Creator. When Yahweh effectively moves in our lives and relieves the pressures of this world, people should see a real change in us.



People outside Christianity need to know that their Creator has an interest in them and their situations. If we're too busy or stressed to allow time for sharing this Good News with others, we can't know his peace. And if we aren't exhibiting his peace, how can we expect anyone to want what we have? If we're showing impatience because Yahweh isn't answering our prayer in a timely manner or helping us overcome our problems, aren't we actually showing unbelievers that what we have isn't worth their time and effort?

Christian author Eileen Gruder said, "To be impatient with God, chronically and habitually impatient with Him because things are not to our liking, makes the Christian life a dreadful burden." Learning to patiently wait allows us to sing a new song in the midst of whatever problems or troubles we face. Actually walking out this patient waiting shows us to be maturing in our faith and opens doors of opportunity for the sharing of the Gospel.

Our culture and society teach that waiting is wasteful. We're told that busyness is good, that we need to be in control of every situation, that all hindrances shoud be removed. We're taught that waiting is a form of abuse. That's why many people who work in service jobs are amazed when someone treats them with dignity by patienlty waiting.

But the Scriptures tells us that waiting on Yahweh is beneficial. We're told by our heavenly Father that we're not the center of the universe, not the most important thing in our world. Our Father tells us to remember that he's always with us, that he wants to help us out of our troubles, that he wants to guide us when we're lost. Trust in Yahweh's provision, even when you can't see it or it seems to be slow in coming. Know that he is completely faithful and that he loves you very much.



Blessings & Peace, Mike