Blossoms of Spring
(We have been looking at four of the Great Words of God, Yes, Come, Wait, and Go. This is the second part of the third word – WAIT. Each installment is about 750 words.)
O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? (Ps. 13:1 ESV)
February in Minnesota is the longest month of the year. It seems like Spring is never going to arrive as we struggle through days of ice and snow waiting for the first sign, longer days. Then the snows of March dampen our spirits until we notice crocus buds, pussy willows, greening lawns, and the blossoming trees of April. May comes like a surprise, but perhaps you have noticed that Summer seems always to be late. Won’t it ever get here? Waiting for the change of season sometimes seems a bit like waiting-in-line for fast-food, and woe betide any person who jumps ahead.
Waiting
We all wait for the passage of time. One of my Mother’s sentence sermons, “Don’t wish your life away,” still comes back to me when I become impatient for something to happen. But I’ll admit getting frustrated when I am put on hold, when I sit in the doctor’s office for an hour past my appointment time, or when I come to a total stop in freeway congestion while on my way to work. Waiting. Waiting. How long do I have to wait?
The Bible has a lot of things to say about waiting and we could take any number of directions in looking at them. The first might be the approach of looking at our moods while we WAIT for God to do something for us. After all, is He not the God of promise, provision, protection, pardon, blessing, mercy, and grace? Waiting is hard.
We could also look at this Great Word of God from the standpoint of how it is engaged. Here is a list of ways that we might take on the battle of the Waiting Place.
With depth of soul
With earnest desire
With submission
With patience
With endurance
With faith-hope-love
With certainty
With expectancy
With fortitude
With perseverance
With urgency
With resolve
Another way to talk about the word WAIT would be to consider how it is exemplified in the lives of Bible characters, such as:
Abraham
Isaac
Jacob
Joseph
Ruth
Esther
Job
Nehemiah
David
Isaiah
John (the Baptist)
Mary and Martha
Peter
Paul
Or, we could look at the word WAIT from the perspective of the life of preparation for all who are seekers, followers, and learners. That is you and me. I believe that the blessing of God is upon those who WAIT, not in the sense of forlorn anxiety or immobility (see discussion on inertia), but in anticipation of a great future and wonderful hope (Jer. 29:11), as God leads us into the kind of friendship with Jesus that calls us into discipleship. That’s the way we will go with this study.
Check in on Part 3 of this series – I’ll try to get it posted no later than next week.
Strength and Honor
Bill
Speaking of the question of the Great Word of God – Wait– do you have a comment or a question? Please feel free to make a comment entry – just click immediately below this note, on the phrase “Leave a Comment” at the end of the tag lines.
