Waiting

Moses is a great example of waiting. He went from Egyptian royalty to spending 40 years as a shepherd before spending another 40 years of wondering around in the wilderness. God was trying to teach the Jewish nation to trust in Him.

Galatians 5:22-23 "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."

Our culture has lost the art of waiting. Before telephones, you had to send a letter. To get a reply to your letter took days, weeks, or even months. Most meetings were done face to face, and relationships will be built through this. It wasn't about picking up a new client, it was about developing friendships. Replies to comments, letters, and invitations tended to be more thought out and intentional. In today's world, we reply to a text with an impersonal thumbs up or "K" (Okay is too hard).

Why is waiting so important? Waiting forces us to halt our feelings and plans until we hear a reply. Sinclair Ferguson said, "Not being patient with others (or God) is not a virtue. It’s a blemish because it means I’m not being like the Lord Jesus...When Paul says that the fruit of the Spirit is patience, it’s not as though the Spirit gives us a permanent commodity. It is that the Spirit works in us, transforming us gradually, perhaps even gently and slowly, but surely, bringing us into situations that might cause us to be impatient. But as He works in our lives and we reflect on how wonderfully patient the Lord has been with us, we find that we are able to take the strain, and patience begins to develop."

Waiting on a correspondence from a doctor, a hospital (at this point I would appreciate a call from a UAB janitor), is a tough lesson. God has a plan. I don't know His plan. If I knew His plan, then I would not be focused on patience. I would be focused on getting His plan accomplished through my power, skills, and determination.

Why is waiting so difficult? Waiting forces us to take a backseat, and allow the almighty sovereign Creator to take the lead. He already had the lead. It is just the fact that we are acknowledging it. Patience spurs us to follow.

When Jesus "recruited" His disciples, He did not tell them everything that was going to happen. He simply said, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men." Over the 3 - 3 1/2 year journey, those disciples began to see God's bigger plan. Their faith grew. As Jesus continually taught them the Bible, He slowly opened their eyes to areas they needed to surrender. 

 There is nothing which so certifies the genuineness of a man's faith as his patience and his patient endurance, his keeping on steadily in spite of everything.
- Martyn Lloyd-Jones

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