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How We Wait

Chris with his little smile

 As I continued reading through the Psalms this morning, I noticed that "waiting" on God came up many times. David often declares that he will wait on God. Sometimes, he was waiting on deliverance or answers. Other times, he was waiting for direction, peace, or victory. I was a little surprised at how many times I read the phrase, even though I talk about waiting on God a lot myself.

In the last few verses of Psalm 25, for instance, David declares that he will trust God and that he would wait on Him. These two waiting and trusting seem to go hand in hand. I may feel completely full of trust for God until I have to wait on Him. Maybe it's all wrapped up in how we wait.

When I get worked up about an issue - caregiving, finances, relationships - it's harder to wait on God. I am a bit hyper and active by nature, so I'm always trying to "do." But sometimes, the most progress is made when I can settle myself down and wait for God to act on my behalf. But that doesn't mean it's easy - just because I know it and declare it. Trusting and waiting are so intertwined they are inseparable.

Abraham got anxious, and so did Sarah. They ended up with a bundle of trouble instead of waiting on the promise. However, as I get older, I get that. I know God is not on a time schedule, but I know my time is limited, and I need to see Him act! Lol. Samson didn't wait on God. Instead, he got all tangled up with Delilah. His emotions were not into waiting on anything, and it cost him his life essentially. Jesus, as He walked here on this earth, waited on the Father. He even said I don't do anything I don't see my Father doing. He waited on the Father's actions before He did anything. Jesus walked in total peace. He was so full of peace, He walked out to the disciples' boat in the middle of a violent storm. Oh, did I mention He was literally walking across the water to get to them? Wow, right? 

In the middle of the storm, Jesus had total peace as He worked His way out to the disciples that night. As soon as Jesus (and Peter) got into the boat, the storm calmed. (Matthew 14:32) The other disciples just sat and waited on Him to get there. It was worth the wait because of the peace they experienced once He was in the boat. We can draw some parallels here. When we wait for Him - peace will come. But it won't necessarily come until He's in our boat with us.

Today, I will remind myself that Jesus is in my boat, and He's not going to jump ship! Sometimes, it can feel like we are in the middle of a stormy sea, in the middle of the night, and our boat is rocking back and forth. But one thing is sure - He is with us. I'll remind myself to wait for His peace today. David commanded his soul to wait for God. I think we can do the same thing. I will wait for Him today instead of getting ahead of what He is doing. Will you join me?





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