i think that perhaps i shouldn’t have liked the play “waiting for godot” so much because perhaps that set me up for some waiting on GOD TO do some things. but He likes to keep His own calendar. and He doesn’t always consult MY calendar and align His plans with my timing. He is so God like that... so higher than my thoughts and all that Godness. so i am in His waiting room. good thing He is supplying me with a lot of great reading material while i am waiting.
'He that believeth shall not make haste';
the believer who is marked by faith shall not run to and fro as do men at their wits end,
nor be driven by any fears as are the wicked, of whom it is said,
"Terrors shall make him afraid on every side, and shall drive him to his feet", Job 18:11.
With a fixed heart the believer can quietly wait upon the Lord,
for God's timing is always best.
Learning to accept this is one of life's most difficult lessons.
"Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him"... Psalm 37:7
For thus said the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel,
“In returning and rest you shall be saved;
in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.”
Therefore the LORD waits to be gracious to you,
and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you.
For the LORD is a God of justice;
blessed are all those who wait for Him.
Isaiah 30:15-18
really, BLESSED are those who wait for Him????????? BLESSED?!?!??!?!?!? did it just say that? i think it did. and paul tripp (who is a GREAT resource for those of us with teenagers) wrote this great article about how waiting is spiritual muscle development. which doesn’t really sound like a lot of fun, muscle development doesn’t sound like something we all RUN to do. here are a couple of my favorite ideas from his article (click on the blue title to read the entire article which is really really really good)...
spiritual muscle development by paul tripp
Is waiting, for you, a time of stengthening or weakening? Have you ever stopped to consider why God asks you to wait? Let me point you to one of his purposes.
1) Waiting Is Giving You Time
Waiting for the Lord isn’t about God forgetting you, forsaking you, or being unfaithful to his promises. It’s actually God giving you time to consider his glory and to grow stronger in faith. Remember, waiting isn’t just about what you are hoping for at the end of the wait, but also about what you will become as you wait.
It’s so easy to question your belief system when you are not sure what God is doing. It’s so easy to give way to doubt when you are being called to wait.
2) Avoid these Habits of Unfaith...
Giving way to doubt.
Giving way to anger.
Giving way to discouragement.
Giving way to envy.
Giving way to inactivity.
3) Waiting is one of His primary shaping tools...
The reality of waiting is that it’s an expression of God’s goodness not empirical evidence against it. He is wise and loving. His timing is always right, and his focus isn’t so much on what you will experience and enjoy, but on what you will become.
He is committed to using every tool at his disposal to rescue you from yourself and to shape you into the likeness of his Son. The fact is that waiting is one of his primary shaping tools.
I rejoice in the hope of that glory to be revealed,
for it is no uncertain glory that we look for.
Our hope is not hung upon such an untwisted thread as,
"I imagine so," or "It is likely,"
but the cable, the strong tow of our fastened anchor,
is the oath and promise of Him who is eternal verity.
Our salvation is fastened with God's own hand, and with Christ's own strength,
to the strong stake of God's unchangeable nature.
{samuel rutherford}
and this was my other quote of the day... seems that SomeOne is trying to give me a lot more spiritual muscle development time. and some more reading material for my time in the Waiting Room....
“If I had to select one quality, one personal characteristic that I regard as being most highly correlated with success, whatever the field, I would pick the trait of persistence.
Determination.
The will to endure to the end, to get knocked down seventy times and get up off the floor saying,
'Here comes number seventy-one'!”
Richard DeVos (born 1926); American businessman