One of the hardest things to do, especially in our age of instant communication and often instant gratification, is to wait. Hurry Up and Wait! We want things to work out quickly and instantly and often we begin to expect things that are just not realistic. We pray for things and expect GOD to answer our prayers right away. Maybe He will and He certainly can, as He knows what we will ask for even before we ask. Often, however, He uses the mystery of time to bring about His purposes for His ultimate Glory and in conjunction with our free will and requests. Now, if we can just Hurry Up and Wait!
As I briefly mentioned in the previous article, time serves a purpose. GOD gives us time to adjust; He gives us time to learn and grow from all of our life experiences. He has allowed time to work out all of His purposes. When we pray for answers, we must realize that time is a part of the process of our praying. When our prayers involve other people, there is also the time it takes for circumstances to work out in each life involved, along with what they are praying, and how it all corresponds to work together for good. Only GOD is sufficient to work out everything for every person in every moment of time and all for His Glory. The hard part is waiting. It is difficult to trust, especially in things that we cannot readily see. As noted before, it is easy to fall into the trap of rushing and this will most often only lead to more problems.
What does it really mean to wait? It certainly doesn’t mean to just sit around as a couch potato and do nothing! How would you ever learn what you need to for that test if you just sit around and expect the information to somehow be absorbed by osmosis? How will that mess get cleaned up if you don’t take the time and do what is necessary to clean it up? How will your work get done if you just wait around and do nothing to help move things forward? Waiting and being patient does not primarily mean inaction. It simply means that any action you take is controlled and that your emotions are collected and focused on a goal. If you hurry and fail to look Up, you will not really be able to wait.
In my book I explain more about the 10th in my Top Ten Lessons to Learn (tabbed above). “Hoping in Faith” is simply trusting and waiting on what you cannot yet see, but still know to be true. It is an assurance based on the unseen, spiritual reality. Deciding to wait and particularly waiting on the LORD is the best thing to help you no matter what trouble or tragedy you may face. Consider the familiar Scripture passage of Isaiah 40:31:
“But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.”
If you are trusting in any person or any thing less than GOD Himself, then you really do need to Hurry Up and Wait on Him to work things out for you. I know that HE has and will continue to help me in all of my troubles and tragedy and I know HE will help you if you trust in Him. Hurry Up and Wait!
Lessons To Learn Ministries 