We all have to wait on something at some point in our lives.
For some it seems like they are always waiting on, or for, something.
Seasons of waiting.
And the only encouragement we ever seem to find from people is the simple phrase: "Patience is a virtue."
I really hate that phrase.
Because I already know that.
I wanted some encouragement that would actually help me, or teach me something.
And in that slight irritation, I wonder, 'For me, right now in this period of time...what is patience?'
How can I be patient in this situation?
Not in the noun sense of the word, but the verb.
The act, process, or state of being patient.
Patience is wise waiting, or in other words skillful waiting.
Waiting well.
Are we waiting well?
Am I waiting well?
Patience can sometimes mean, waiting long enough for our minds to change... or waiting long enough to prove the test of time that what we desire really is what we really, really want.
Do we put ourselves in positions where we CAN change our minds though?
Because if we don't... we cheat ourselves out of a blessing.
Patience is a virtue, after all.
Before we fully determine the 'How' of our waiting or our patience... maybe we should determine the why...
A good question should be, 'Well, what are we waiting for?'
'What really is it that I'm desiring?'
And why should God provide those desires for me?
Does what I want fall in line with God's will for my desires?
Isaiah said in chapter 26 verse 8:
"Yes, LORD, walking in the way of your laws, we wait for you; your name and renown are the desire of our hearts."
Walking in the way of your laws...
Jeremiah 6:16 says,
"This is what the LORD says:
“Stand at the crossroads and look;
ask for the ancient paths,
ask where the good way is, and walk in it,
and you will find rest for your souls."
If we are at rest, we are at peace, our desires are either fulfilled or at ease with whatever the outcome was or is.
We wait for you...
Isaiah 40:29-31 says,
"He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint."
Your name and renown are the desires of our hearts...
Psalm 135:13 says,
"Your name, LORD, endures forever,
your renown, LORD, through all generations."
So in this Simple Sunday post, I want to encourage all those who are waiting...
Waiting for the tests to come in.
Waiting for your next paycheck.
Waiting for him to 'pop the question'.
Waiting for the 'right one' to come along.
Waiting for God to direct your career.
Waiting for that promotion.
Waiting for ______________ fill in the blank.
Patience is a virtue. However, unlike most, I don't want to leave you with just that.
Determine today that you will skillfully wait, by making sure your desires are truly God honoring, and ones that will bring God's name and fame glory.
Because EVERY part of our lives are to be about Him.
"Yes, LORD, walking in the way of your laws, we wait for you; your name and renown are the desire of our hearts."
Can we truly pray that?
One last story.
It was about two years ago that I heard of Frankie's story, though this occurred many years ago.
Frankie lived in a small town in Illinois, he was a lover of movies, video games, and a big football fan.
Frankie was an easy going guy, a devoted Christian, he loved going to church and he loved Jesus Christ.
At a young age, Frankie was diagnosed with cancer.
A rare form of cancer that chemotherapy doesn't work very well against.
He had a 7% chance to survive.
On the first day that Frankie was admitted to a hospital to begin receiving treatment, the doctors had a talk with him... as all doctors do in situations like those.
The family was gathered in the room as the doctor began speaking. He told them how this process was not going to be easy, that the treatments were going to hurt, such as bone marrow transplants and other regimens, and that they were going to do everything they could for him, but they can't make any promises.
Giving the usual talk he continued to explain all the things that they were going to use... everything modern medicine had to offer was going to be on the table... to make this...
...comfortable for him.
Everyone in the room knew what that meant.
To make things comfortable for him.
Because 7% literally means it would take a miracle from God to heal.
The doctor continued talking about how much pain Frankie would experience for the last 6 months of his life.
Frankie's mom lost it and had to walk out of the room.
But Frankie... after the doctor finished...
Looked down at his hand...
Nodding his head, running his fingers across his skin... spoke.
Saying, "It's not going to hurt as bad as having nails shoved through my hands or my feet and hanging on a cross for reasons and things I didn't deserve. It's not going to hurt as bad as what Jesus did for me on the cross."
For Frankie he came to a crossing.
He walked up to the crossroads.
His body grew weary.
But in those moments he chose to wait skillfully. To wait upon God by aligning his desires with the desires of Christ.
Frankie had no control. He needed to wait for something.
He needed to wait for a bone marrow match.
He needed to wait for certain treatments to become available.
He needed to wait for God to move.
Frankie had no other option than to believe that God is who He says He is, that His promises are true, and that God's idea of better is somehow going to be better than his own.
Frankie waited.
But He didn't wait sitting still, he didn't wait in idle mode.
Frankie instead decided that God had him here for a reason. For such a time as this.
And Frankie shared the gospel of Jesus Christ with every person he came in contact with up until his last breath was taken from him.
His goal, alongside his dad who stayed by his side through it all, was to make the name of Jesus famous.
Frankie's desires were in line with God's.
Frankie got what he wanted.
He wasn't healed.
But he got what he waited for.
He waited for God's best for His life... and God delivered.
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So for us, are we waiting for and holding on to what we want deep within us... or will we begin desiring God's best for us? Which may mean something different than we first wanted.
Sometimes waiting skillfully demands us to change the 'why' and 'what' of what we are waiting for.
God delivers.
Will we believe that God is who He says He is, that His promises are true, and that God's idea of better is better than our own?
