Waiting
Published by Korey Buchanek under on 11:58 AM
May 10, 2010
Have you ever had to wait on the Lord for something? The silence can be deafening. I know that these seasons produce patience and a hope that do not disappoint, but that doesn’t make the middle of the silence any easier. Isaiah 40:31 tells us, “But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint” and Psalms 27:14 says, “Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.” Scripture almost makes it sound easy. However, patience has never come easy to the nature of men.
When I find myself having to wait on something I begin to interpret things in a manner that justify my desires. From scripture to casual conversations, perspective is shaped and molded by a selfish nature. The waiting seems to bring its own voice. That’s what makes waiting on the Lord so hard. Over the life of my ministry I have learned that my ways are not always His ways and my timing is defiantly not His either. The hardest part for me in the wait is understanding the heart of my God. It’s the learning to wait upon His desire to be embraced by my own heart that takes its toll. There are those moments that I want to bow my chest out and claim that I have assurance in His way for me, but then He never fails to humble me again.
However, I believe God wants us to know His heart in order for us to understand his desire and will for our lives. Matt. 7:7 "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” One of my favorites is Jeremiah 29:13-14, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart I will be found by you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile." God’s people have always had a hard time waiting on Him. You can take ten minutes to look at the Israelites to see that forty years in the wilderness had to be excruciating with their short term memory.
So what does the Lord have to do in order to make us depend on Him? Is there any other way in our finite minds to develop a trust and hope in Him outside of waiting? I don’t think there is for me. The only way for me to abandon my personal pursuit for selfish gain and ambition is to be left in a place of waiting. I have to find myself in a place that I can’t fix. My methods of solving problems and my abilities to find answers have to be exhausted in order for my hard head to come to a place of trust in Him. So I wait. The minutes turn to hours and the hours to days. Prayer becomes focused on His heart and not my own. Want becomes dependence and dependence becomes hope. My heart begins to realize that endurance is not about my ability to wait. It’s about being willing enough to wait. It’s in that waiting that I see a hope produced in the knowledge that God is faithful. His faithfulness will endure even when my heart fails. Thank you God for the seasons that call me to wait on You.
Have you ever had to wait on the Lord for something? The silence can be deafening. I know that these seasons produce patience and a hope that do not disappoint, but that doesn’t make the middle of the silence any easier. Isaiah 40:31 tells us, “But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint” and Psalms 27:14 says, “Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.” Scripture almost makes it sound easy. However, patience has never come easy to the nature of men.
When I find myself having to wait on something I begin to interpret things in a manner that justify my desires. From scripture to casual conversations, perspective is shaped and molded by a selfish nature. The waiting seems to bring its own voice. That’s what makes waiting on the Lord so hard. Over the life of my ministry I have learned that my ways are not always His ways and my timing is defiantly not His either. The hardest part for me in the wait is understanding the heart of my God. It’s the learning to wait upon His desire to be embraced by my own heart that takes its toll. There are those moments that I want to bow my chest out and claim that I have assurance in His way for me, but then He never fails to humble me again.
However, I believe God wants us to know His heart in order for us to understand his desire and will for our lives. Matt. 7:7 "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” One of my favorites is Jeremiah 29:13-14, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart I will be found by you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile." God’s people have always had a hard time waiting on Him. You can take ten minutes to look at the Israelites to see that forty years in the wilderness had to be excruciating with their short term memory.
So what does the Lord have to do in order to make us depend on Him? Is there any other way in our finite minds to develop a trust and hope in Him outside of waiting? I don’t think there is for me. The only way for me to abandon my personal pursuit for selfish gain and ambition is to be left in a place of waiting. I have to find myself in a place that I can’t fix. My methods of solving problems and my abilities to find answers have to be exhausted in order for my hard head to come to a place of trust in Him. So I wait. The minutes turn to hours and the hours to days. Prayer becomes focused on His heart and not my own. Want becomes dependence and dependence becomes hope. My heart begins to realize that endurance is not about my ability to wait. It’s about being willing enough to wait. It’s in that waiting that I see a hope produced in the knowledge that God is faithful. His faithfulness will endure even when my heart fails. Thank you God for the seasons that call me to wait on You.
3 comments:
Great post sir!
David was annointed King of Israel when he was around 16, but didnt take the throne until he was around 30. Abraham waited 25 years for God's promise of a son to be fulfilled. Hebrews 6:15 (Gods Word Translation) "So Abraham received what God promised because he waited patiently for it"
As long as we wait on Him, He is in front of us. We can still see Him, and He can still lead us. If we try to do things too quickly because we heard from Him, we end up doing things on our own time. Thats when we get out in front of Him. We try to lead and thats when everything gets messed up. It will never work because we cant look straight ahead and stay focused on Him. It is like a father handing over his business to his 17 year old son. That son isnt ready yet to run the business. But if that son waits, with much preparation, experience and faithfulness, one day that he will be ready to step in and take it over. And the father will know exactly when his son is ready.
Lamentations 3:25 "The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, To the person who seeks Him."
Psalm 37:34 "Wait for the LORD and keep His way, And He will exalt you to inherit the land"
PRAISE GOD!
Thanks for reading. I appreciate the words of encouragement. It's always good to know someone is blessed by my journey to know Him more. Be blessed...
i am very gladGod sends these writings to me. i knowVERY little of the WORD, and to walk this journey with you really uplifts my spirit. Thank You Korey for the way God is using you to reach out to others who otherwise would not hear, or think, of things in this way Love to you!
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