"Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD."
Psalm 27:14 (NLT)
Waiting: a virtue I aspire to obtain but often fail to achieve. How about you?
In
our hurry up, need it, gotta-have-it-now culture, we have been
brain-washed into thinking there is something wrong with waiting and we
shouldn't have to do it. Within seconds we can know the weather in
southern Mongolia, order a cute blouse from a trendy store, or Skype a
conversation with a friend on the opposite side of the country. We can
instant message a friend or send a tweet to thousands in the blink of an
eye; no wonder we believe waiting is hard to do.
The
author of today's key verse was no stranger to waiting and knew full
well of its difficulties. Out of nowhere, the prophet Samuel showed up
at his home to anoint the next king of Israel who was to be chosen from
his family. Only one of Jesse's sons would be anointed as God's chosen
king for His beloved Israel. The son chosen was David. Scripture tell
us the Spirit of God rushed over David and was with him the remainder of
his days (1 Samuel 16:13, ESV). With such an anointing one would
expect David to run to take his seat on the throne, but the only running
David did was back to the pasture to do his job. Thus his wait began.
In
the wait, God prepared David for his seat on the throne. The only
vocation David knew was shepherding. He did not know the ends and outs
of kingly protocol or the rules of royal deity. David did not have the
support of the people or armies to defend him as king. He was only a
lowly shepherd boy. Instead of taking the position he was promised
David waited for God to move him from the pasture to the palace. In the
wait, God made David ready for the move.
David learned
many lessons about waiting. By examining and applying these truths we
can find hope in the difficulty of waiting and determine that waiting in
the present is beneficial to our future.
1. Even
though we are anointed and appointed we may still have to wait. David
waited fifteen years to be king of Judah and even longer to be king of
all Israel.
2. God's ways are not our ways; His thoughts are not
our thoughts. After being anointed and appointed David was called to
serve Saul, the king who was sitting on "his" throne.
3. God
doesn't waste time; He holds it in His hands. He redeems it by using
our experiences to prosper us in each season of life.
4. If we
allow it, our waiting will bring us to an intimate knowledge of the
Savior that we would not other wise have. Most of David's beautiful and
poetic psalms were written while in caves, caverns, and the wilderness,
waiting on God.
5. God does not ignore the cries of His children.
David cried out, and at times begged God for help, invention, and
defense. God never let David down. He did eventually take the throne,
didn't he?
6. Our waiting has a purpose for someone other that
ourselves. It is not all about us. Just think of how rich our lives
are today because of the wait David endured. We have the comfort,
compassion, hope, and healing of his amazing poetry.
What
awesome instructions David gives for waiting! Waiting is less
difficult and the future is brighter when we let God to do His work in
our waiting season. When we let our guard and defenses down He proves
Himself faithful to bring His plans for our lives to fullness.
Dear
Lord, help me wait. Help me wait well. I want to be still and allow
You to bring Your plan in my life to its fullness. I can't do this
without You. In Jesus' Name, Amen
