The Hardest Command to Follow

Pray? Check.

Pray again? Check.

Study the Bible on the matter? Done.

Let that study fill the mind? Yep.

Pray once more? Of course.

Decisions must be made. Deadlines must be met. Struggles need to be worked through. And Christians know the “formula” of prayer, study, and thought that go into each of these. We know that open communication with our Father–both through speaking to Him in prayer and listening to Him through His Word–is essential. We know that all that.

So what makes this process so difficult? It is following what I consider to be the hardest command of them all to follow. When we have prayed, studied, and considered a matter ad nauseum there is still more. There is another part of the “formula,” and it’s the hardest to take. What is it?

Wait on the Lord. (Psalm 27:14)

Wait? And wait on Someone I cannot see? And wait on someone who doesn’t live based on the same clock and calendar I do?

That is so hard! We live in a rush, rush, rush society. Instant everything. A world of time-saving devices. A world where, as Tom Petty put it, “The waiting is the hardest part.” Yet God expects us to wait on Him?

Yep.

When we are honest, though, we realize that this is best, and we realize that He will do what is ultimately best. Sometimes what He does won’t make sense in the moment, and sometimes we might even have to go through a season of difficulty. But what He does will be what is best in the end.

If you struggle with waiting–like I certainly do–let me share 4 important reminders.

1. God sees the big picture. We do not. We are limited by time and experience. We might know history and we certainly know our present, but God “holds the future in His hands.” He is the One who knows the end from the beginning (see Isaiah 46:10). We may think that we know what is best, but only God knows how everything will turn out.

2. This life is extremely short. Waiting makes that statement seem untrue, because the hours and days of waiting can seem to last forever. Compared with eternity, though, this life is very, very short. When we struggle with waiting, remember that, in heaven, there will be no waiting. There will be no moments of anguishing over a decision. No matter how difficult your season of waiting might be, it will end, and it won’t seem as long in eternity.

3. Waiting offers more time to focus on Him. As you wait, seek ways to bring God glory. Spend more time in His word. Spend more time in prayer. Talk with others about Him, and even about how He is working in this decision, though you may not see it at the moment. Often, when we wait for God, we tend to practically forget Him. Maybe He is making us wait to test us…to see if we will keep our eye on Him.

4. Waiting is not necessarily a “no.” Sometimes we take something before God’s throne and don’t seem to know the answer, so we assume God is saying “no.” We need to remember what we teach our little children. One of the answers God gives to our prayers and requests is “not now” or “wait a while.” He is not saying “no” all the time. We adults need to keep that in mind.

I hate waiting, but I am trying to learn to take advantage of the time that must be spent waiting on the Lord. I try to keep telling myself that God truly does know what is best, and He will ultimately work all things together for good (cf. Romans 8:28).

If you are struggling with waiting on the Lord, let’s resolve to use these seasons of waiting to His glory and to our own maturity.

QUESTION: What are some more good things that can come from a season of waiting on the Lord?

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Photo credit: Anna Gutermuth, under Flickr creative commons