In the Waiting

Yet again, I have to feature my guest blogger (and dear friend...though she doesn't know it), Elisabeth Elliot. This is also from "Faith that does not Falter."

The Discipline of Waiting

Is there a harder discipline than that of waiting, especially when one's desires seem as wild and uncontrollable as a prairie fire?

Without real trust in who God is – trust in His never-failing love and wisdom - we set ourselves up for disappointment. Is He a good God? Will He give what is best? If the answer is yes to both questions, it follows that He will withhold many things that look attractive to us. It is His mercy to withhold them. Shall we accuse him of failure to get "His act" together or shall we echo the psamist's word, "I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord" (Ps 27:13-14)

If we imagine that happiness is to be found by furious pursuit, we will end up in a rage at the unsatisfying results. If, on the other hand, we set ourselves to pursue the wise and loving and holy will of our Heavenly Father, we will find that happiness comes – quietly, in unexpected ways, and surprisingly often, as the by-product of sacrifice.

Waiting is a form of suffering – the difficulty of self-restraint, the anguish of unfulfilled longing, the bewilderment of unanswered prayer, flesh and heart failing, soul breaking. These are indeed tribulations, and tribulation is the curriculum if we are to learn patience. We want answers now, right now, but we are required at times to walk in darkness.

Nevertheless, God is in the darkness.

"My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from Him (Ps 62:5). In Him alone lie our security, our confidence, our trust. A spirit of restlessness and reistance can never wait, but one who believes he is loved with an everlasting love and knows that underneath are the everlasting arms will find strength and peace.

God is in the waiting.

Reading this made me thing of a song called "In the Waiting" by Vicki Yo'he. You can listen to it here while reading what the Lord impressed upon my heart after reading what my friend Elisabeth wrote.

I have seen God in my waiting, that is, I have seen the truth of His word. When I am tempted to be discouraged or discontented with my circumstances...He has shown me the sufficiency of His grace. When I feel spent, weary, wanting to give up...He has met me with comfort and strength. When my will has risen up and threatened to demand its own way...He speaks words of wisdom and truth. And when my longings reach fever-pitch and seem almost too much to bear...He shows me that His nearness truly is my good. So I wait...and wait...and wait still longer, setting my expectation and hope on Him, knowing that He is working and bringing about His good and perfect purposes for my life. Praying all the while that as He takes me through my paces in this curriculum of patience, that I will not dishonor Him in my response to His tests and pop quizzes. I may fail some and may have to repeat a course or twelve, but knowing that He is in this, designing it, willing and doing it all gives me great comfort and helps me to endure...and wait...however long He wills.

"My soul, wait thou only upon god; for my expectation is from him (Ps 62:5).