How To Wait

Friday, 09 December 2011 13:38

How to Wait

Psalm 37:1-7

Although life can only be lived in the moment, many moments are wasted with the excessive contemplation of the past and the paralyzing fear of the future. The fear of the unknown future motivates many rash actions in the present: some are losing sleep, losing their hair, losing their minds; others are self medicating, dulling their consciousness to the fear of lost security; still others are making their loved ones pay the price for their own anxiety and apprehension.

In the Psalms God warns the believer about coping with the future in the same way an unbeliever would. The one who claims to know God looks like a liar when he commits sins in order to secure a future of his own making, leaving no room for the hand of God in his affairs.

Planning is a necessary discipline, but planning without faith in God becomes divination, and goals set without our eyes fixed upon God is the worship of an idol of our own creation. By goal setting and planning without piety and prayer a man will find himself walking by sight rather than by faith.

The Question

Isaiah 40:29–31 (AV) ²⁹ He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. ³⁰ Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: ³¹ But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

All of this leads us to the central question: how do we wait? Is there a manner of waiting that is befitting the saint of God, a manner of waiting that leaves room for His working and that glorifies His name in the world? “The principal part of faith is patience” Geo. McDonald

How then shall we wait? The Psalmist has provided us with an answer to this question.

Psalm 37:1–7 (AV) ¹ Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. ² For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.

³ Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.

⁴ Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

⁵ Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. ⁶ And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.

⁷ Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.

Fret not because of Evildoers

Psalm 37:1–2 (AV) ¹ Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. ² For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.

Many believers have problems waiting upon the Lord because they see the activity of those around them, drafting and erecting the architecture of their future with a sure hand. These may give lip service to the Lord, but they have their own end in mind, they are not subject to interference from God or anyone else. To these James says the following:

James 4:13–16 (NKJV) ¹³ Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; ¹⁴ whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. ¹⁵ Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.” ¹⁶ But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.

God does not want the believer to face the future like an unbeliever; he does not want the one who is indwelt by the Spirit of God behaving as if there is no God. Our manner of handling the unknown in time is as much a witness to others as our handling of the issues of eternity. The way in which we address the uncertain future is either evangelistic or it is a destroyer of the unbeliever’s faith.

Trust in the Lord and Do Good

Psalm 37:3 (AV) ³ Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.

When we wait properly we are not only acknowledging the power of God, we are also giving witness to His character. God has said that he will take care of us; he said that he will withhold no good thing to those who walk uprightly [Ps 84.11b].

Psalm 37:25 (AV) ²⁵ I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.

Trusting in the Lord means I trust his power, but more importantly, I trust his character of righteousness. Waiting on the Lord is to believe in the present that I can rely upon his Word because of His immutable integrity. When I trust the Lord, then my focus is upon doing his will and those things which are pleasing in His sight.

Matthew 24:45–47 (NKJV) ⁴⁵ “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season? ⁴⁶ Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing. ⁴⁷ Assuredly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all his goods.

Delight thyself in the Lord

Psalm 37:4 (AV) ⁴ Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

When my priority is making sure that everything works out the way I want it, I can actually nullify God’s best for me. Many a woman has missed Mr. Right while she was dancing with Mr. Wrong.

I can only enjoy God in the present. Although God exists independently of time [Eternality], I do not. It is through pleasing God today that I may be assured of His best destiny for my tomorrow.

By delighting myself in the Lord: In his word, in prayer, in ministry, in personal holiness, I am saying that His plan for me is better than my plan for me. I have a plan, but I realize that His plan is better for me.

Luke 22:42 (NKJV) ⁴² saying, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.”

The desires of my heart are not to be found entirely in my plans. Billy Grahams’ wife remarked once that “God has not always answered my prayers. If He had, I would have married the wrong man—several times.” [Paul Lee Tan]

The old folks knew that God knows us better than we know ourselves. God also knows the conditions of the future and the best situation for us at that time. God has known from eternity past what is best for us and believe me, His plan is better than yours and mine.

Commit thy way unto the Lord

Psalm 37:5-6 (AV) ⁵ Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. ⁶ And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.

The believer must make up his mind that he actually wants the way or the future that the Lord has planned for him. This does not mean that we do not have plans and desires for our lives. What it does mean is that we trust that God desires our best and further, God desires that we accomplish the purpose for which we were redeemed in the first place.

We are not on earth in order to actualize happiness, we are here to participate in a warfare on behalf of Christ. As soldiers, God is concerned with our welfare but he is even more concerned with the prosecution of the battle against the forces of spiritual wickedness. When our plan for our future supersedes the orders of the Captain of the Lord of Hosts, then we are out of order.

2 Timothy 2:4 (NKJV) ⁴ No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier.

We must remember that God is not here for our benefit, we are here for His benefit.

When we commit our way to the Lord, He will vindicate our faith. As we wait on the Lord, we have confidence that although we may be ridiculed today for walking by faith, we will see justice tomorrow. This vindication is only possible when we submit our way, our journey, our future to the Lord.

Rest in the Lord, Wait patiently for Him

Psalm 37:7 (AV) ⁷ Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.

Rest in the Lord is only possible in the present. We plan for the future but we can only live in the present. You cannot rest yesterday or relax tomorrow: you can only rest in the Lord today.

“Forever is composed of nows.” ~Emily Dickinson

“Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. And today? Today is a gift. That's why we call it the present.” ~Babatunde Olatunji

How do we wait? It has been said that, when one is headed in the right direction, he need only keep walking.

Psalm 118:24 (AV) ²⁴ This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.

By missing the blessing of the moment, we postpone the blessing of the future-R.B. Thieme.

When the scriptures instruct us to wait in the Lord, they are really telling us to live today, to enjoy intimacy with the Lord today, because this is the day that the Lord has made, and this day has been given to us; tomorrow belongs in its entirety to the Lord.

When we are in intimate relation with the Lord, delighting in Him: when we are in the word, communicating with God in prayer then we are acquiring the maturity and the answers which will equip us for the destiny that God has in store.

Conclusion of the Matter

Psalm 27:4 (AV) ⁴ One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple.

How then should we wait?

Fret not because of evildoers

Trust in the Lord and do good

Delight in the Lord

Commit thy way to the Lord

Rest in the Lord and wait patiently on Him

rich walker