Waiting...everyone hates it! Waiting means we are not in charge...we have zero control...we have no input, no one is asking for our "oh so valuable advice"...it means somehow that we are the receiver, not the giver, and this troubles many people.

I am not sure if most people are bothered because they don't know the giver (God, the giver of all good things) or if it is the loss of control that they disdain. I don't care for waiting because this society has conditioned me to want things "NOW"...and has twisted each of us to go out and try to get whatever it is that we want"now". We have been told that what we want is what we need and that is just, well...a lie!

Due to credit cards and the media, our thought life has been inundated with the concept that we "Deserve" things, and that even if we don't have the money to buy them, we should use our credit card and get it right now, because we "need" it...UGH


Waiting is good for us. It builds character. It humbles us. It strengthens us. It produces endurance in us. It reminds us that God is in control. It causes us to consider what we need instead of what we want. It helps us to turn our focus from ourselves...I really could keep going, but you get the point.

The Hebrew word for "Wait" means to stretch or to twist, and includes the idea of tension. It means to look forward with confident hope to that which is good or beneficial (herein lies the difference between waiting and worrying, but I will leave that for another time). The connotation evokes two images: connection and tension. When we wait on God in hope we have a line directly connecting us with God. We and God are linked together, and our gaze follows the line right up to the throne of God (now this of course assumes that you include God in your waiting...which I highly suggest that you do). Keeping our gaze on God keeps our minds from wandering to problems that we may be facing while we wait. Visualize it like this, you waiting on God are at one end of a taught line connected to the one you are hoping in and waiting for, God himself at the other end.

I wish I could hand you a piece of string right now and tell you to stretch it taught between your two hands. Then I would ask you to imagine that you are at one end and God is at the other (but I can't so perhaps you can go and find a piece somewhere in your house and give it a try...seriously it will really help this concept hit home. It's OK, I'll wait...LOL).

When I have this tension in mind it helps me because, even though I don't know how long I will wait, I am filled with hope, because I am not alone. God is connected to me, and my gaze is on Him, who is my hope. The line connecting us is not limp, but a tension-filled line. Why? Because the possibility that my pain filled days will stretch on with no end in sight creates physical tension. But remember, although waiting means tension, it also means connection, so keep your eyes on the Faithful One at the other end of line.

The bible is filled with words about waiting on God...it takes courage,hope, time, but if we can get it right in our hearts who it is that we wait for, it will help us to endure.

"But, as for me, I will watch expectantly for the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation. My God will hear me." - Micah 7:7

Waiting on God, means trusting in God. If you don't know God...you have no idea that He is always trustworthy, that His character is compassionate, just, and perfect. When you wait without knowing who you are waiting for, you most likely are waiting in worry or fear. But, if you know God, if you have an intimate relationship with Him, and you do know His character....then waiting is merely spending time focusing on Him and hoping as you keep hold of your end of the line, knowing that the one who can and will care for you is holding the other end.

As I have been waiting for this trip to Malawi, I have been continually connected with the great and awesome giver of all things, my loving God. I wait with courage, hope and trust in my God, knowing that His plans for me are good. Knowing who God is and remembering that I am connected to Him when I wait really changes the way that I feel and waiting becomes a joyful expectancy! (Honestly! Give it a try...)

"No one who hopes in You will ever be put to shame." - Psalm 25:3