Well, this week there was this box on the side which read:
"What are your symptoms...there are recognizable (telltale) symptoms of 'waiting on God'"
Right here I got super excited because yes, I find myself in a place where I am eagerly waiting on God! I am waiting for Him to show me what next, what is He preparing me for or what great thing does He want me to do for Him now that my book is finished. This is so timely! I couldn't wait to read on and recognize the symptoms of one eagerly awaiting something big from God. I almost didn't read this introductory sentence to the end, but I did and it brought me down to earth real quick for the full sentence read:
"What are your symptoms...there are recognizable (telltale) symptoms of 'waiting on God' but not very patiently."
This definitely spoiled it for me a bit. This wasn't for me. I wanted the box with the symptoms of someone on her way to something great! Should I read on? I did. I will not tell you what the symptoms are. They are not things of beauty, honor and dignity and...it would be too embarrassing. They all fitted me. They fitted me so well that I was completely shocked, dismayed and shamed. I could not believe it. I was struck dumb. God certainly had my attention! I was shaken. All I could manage was "Lord, this is me...I am so sorry!"
God was not done yet. He never plans to harm us, to have us wriggling in the mud and mire. His plans are always to prosper us, to build us up in Him. The very next exercise told me to do a Bible search on 'waiting on God' and to record my findings. Quite reluctantly I decided to go about it by doing a word search for 'waiting'. I am so glad I did!
The different Hebrew and Greek words which are all translated in our English Bibles as 'waiting' opened up a whole new understanding of the concept for me and hopefully it will also change my bad attitude in this regard! Let me share with you some of the meanings of the different words translated as 'waiting' or 'wait', all in relation to waiting on God.
First of all, 'waiting' indicates to wait, to hope, to expect and to eagerly look for. This is waiting whilst being convinced and sure of the fact that the very thing you are waiting for will come to pass. It reminds me of Joseph who was so sure of God's promise to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob to bring their descendants into the Promised Land, that even on his death bed he gave instructions that when the time would come for this promise to be fulfilled, they would take his bones with them into the Promised Land. He never saw the promise fulfilled, but he fully expected it to happen...and it did! When we wait on God and time passes and it seems that God is tarrying regarding the thing we are waiting for, do we loose hope that He will ever fulfill His promise? How easily we loose our first, eager expectation.
A further meaning of the word is 'to collect, 'to bind together' and 'to be collected'. This is perhaps the one meaning that struck me the most and made me think hard about what happens to me in the waiting process. To be collected means that we keep it all together in a situation. My question was...what would I need to keep together in my waiting process? Almost immediately I was reminded of the meaning of the word 'abide'. It means 'not to depart'. Jesus told us to abide in Him. In our time of waiting we must stay with Christ. We must bind ourselves to Him so to speak. Looking at my own life I realize that often, when the waiting gets too long, I tend to depart from my position in Christ and run around trying to make things happen on my own. With the resulting distance between me and my Lord, Satan's darts of doubt, envy, bitterness, hopelessness, dismay, despair and the like start hitting me left, right and center. Instead of 'being collected', I start falling apart. Oh sweet the moment each time I realize my mistake, turn and fall right back into His loving arms.
Another application that spoke to my heart was 'to endure, to persist, to be steadfast, to hold one's ground, to remain standing, to be upright and to stand firm'. Does not Ephesians 6:11 say, "Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes"? And verse 13, "Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand." I think that we are especially vulnerable to Satan's schemes in our times of waiting, when God seems to be quiet. Without the armor of God, we will not be able to stay upright but rather we will be slain by the enemy. Only with our focus steadfastly set on Christ and His faithfulness and love, will we endure the enemy's onslaught while we wait on the Lord.
In contrast to the application of being upright and remain standing, the very next word I looked up carried the meaning of sitting down, to be set, to dwell, to have one's abode, to inhabit and to 'marry'. I was intrigued by the opposites within the word 'waiting' and yes, this one really got my attention because of the possible meaning of 'marry'. Did I not write a book about a bride? Pondering on this one, I had the picture of a bride inhabiting and making her abode so to speak in her new home. She settled into her new home...the home of her husband. It became her dwelling place too. The context in which this specific word was used, was when Naomi told Ruth to wait and see how things would turn out with Boas when he went to discuss the matter of marriage with their first kinsman-redeemer. While I wait on my Groom to work His plan in my life, I must remember that I am His beloved bride and my dwelling place is with Him. I am set at His feet while I wait.
Because of our tendency to wear ourselves out, to try and work and force our own results and make things happen when it seems that God is taking too long, the next meaning of the word 'waiting' was like balm to the weary soul - to sink down, to drop, relax, to let drop, to let go, to be quiet and to show oneself slack. When we have done everything to secure something we want without success, when we have worked ourselves into a frenzy without the desired results, when we don't know what else we can do, when we are tired...let us hear the tender but firm word of our Lord, "Relax, let it go and be quiet, it is in My hands."
Psalm 37:7 says, "Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways..." But we can all testify to the fact that waiting is no easy task. Can you guess the possible meanings of the original Hebrew word for 'wait' used in Psalm 37? It means to twist, whirl, writhe, fear, tremble, travail, be in anguish, be pained, suffering torture, wait longingly, bring forth, to be brought forth or to be born. This is how our waiting often feels doesn't it. This is certainly how I am feeling at the moment. I hate being in the place I am. I find waiting on the Lord for His guidance and direction extremely hard. I suffer torture from feelings of self-doubt whispered into my heart by my arch-enemy...yet, I know and can perceive that through this difficult time of waiting, God is bringing forth something - a constantly being renewed me.
Let me conclude with just one more possible meaning - to receive or to accept.
Dear friend, as we wait on the Lord for His promises to be fulfilled in our lives, let us remember that we have already received the greatest of all - Him. He is with us. He never leaves us nor forsakes us. While we wait, He is there. He is here. Accept Him afresh into your heart and be strengthened to wait for Him in faith and trust.
Until next week
God bless
Lize
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