“Wait!” Oh, Great...

One of the dreaded words of the twenty-first century has to be “waiting.” The prevailing philosophy of North America many times dictates that if a person desires something they have to have it – now! This is one of the main reasons we got ourselves into the current recession – but I’ll leave that subject for now.

Waiting passively without any seemingly productive output is frowned upon in our society. Even the drive to and from work has become inundated with blackberry’s, PDAs, laptops, and cell phones - all in an attempt to be more “productive” and thus more meaningful. The increasing number of fast-food joints also tells us something about our developing culture. When it comes down to it, we as North Americans can’t stand the idea of passively waiting and not being able to do anything about it.

But here is where we run into problems – all things worth-while take … are you ready for this? ….Time. Well-known poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow once said, “Let us, then, be up and doing, with a heart for any fate; Still achieving, still pursuing, Learn to labor and to wait.” Here’s the balance. And even though it’s a lot easier said then done it’s what we must strive for. We must be willing to work for that which we desire but to also learn the patience of waiting for its completion and/or fruition.

This principle is extremely far-reaching and a lot of times applied to business start-ups whereas an eager owner/operator is urged to lay a solid business foundation (mission statement, customer policies, reasonable cash-flow, etc.) instead of expanding too quickly and stifling available capital.

Now let’s apply the verse that inspired this article –Ps. 27:14, “Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!” There are numerous illustrations in the bible of men and women asked to “wait on God.” Many did, many didn’t. But for those who did wait – they obtained the promise.

Is God asking us to wait and do nothing? Not at all. God may ask us to wait on Him during certain times in our lives – but while we wait we do our due diligence in being a blessing to those around us and preparing our talents, skills, and abilities for the time when God says, “stop waiting, move forward.”

Abraham is a prime example of a person who waited on God but continued to prepare for the fulfillment of God’s promise. (Gen. 17, Heb. 6) This is what God asks us. God has asked you to wait on Him – but prepare yourself for the day of fulfillment. God hasn’t forgotten about your dreams, your goals –but first you must learn to wait on Him.