Wait

Do you ever feel like you're playing the waiting game?

Think about how many things you're waiting on right now... I'm waiting on my work permit for PNG to be approved.  I'm waiting for the remaining 4% of my funds to come in.  I'm waiting until I can submit my application for a visa.  I'm waiting for my visa to be approved so that I can buy my plane ticket to PNG.  And those are just the things I'm waiting on regarding getting to PNG "on time".  When I look at that list, I realize that there is nothing that I can possibly do to speed any of those things up.  I am at the mercy of other people and God's timing, mainly the latter.

There are other things I'm waiting on that I could speed up.  I could interfere.  I could manipulate situations.  I could make it happen.  Sometimes we interfere because we want that something so bad we just can't stand it.  Sometimes we interfere because we're afraid of what could happen if we don't interfere, or we doubt that God can carry us through it.  I've been on both of those sides more times than I can count, but mostly the side of fear and doubt.  And in the end, you just want to take it all back.

But you know what I've realized?  When you speed things up on your own, you face heartache, hurt feelings, missing out on what God has in store right now, knowing that you could have had the best had you waited when, instead, you pushed for what you "knew" should happen.

"I will stand at my watch and station myself on the ramparts; I will look to see

what He will say to me, and what answer I am to give to this complaint."

Habakkuk 2:1

The Bible makes it clear that when we wait on the Lord...
He is good to us.

"I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.

Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord."

Psalm 27:13-14

He acts on our behalf.

"Since ancient times, no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen

any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for Him."

Isaiah 64:4

He shows us unfailing love and full redemption.
He redeems us from our sins.

"I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His word I put my hope.

My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning...

O Israel, put your hope in the Lord, for with the Lord is unfailing love

and with Him is full redemption.  He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins."

Psalm 130:5-8

He is gracious to us and shows us compassion.
He brings justice.

"The Lord longs to be gracious to you; He rises to show you compassion.

For the Lord is a God of justice.  Blessed are all who wait for Him."

Isaiah 30:18

He turns His face to us and hears our cry.

"I waited patiently for the Lord; He turned to me and heard my cry."

Psalm 40:1

He renews our strength and lifts us up.

"Yet those who wait for the LORD will gain new strength; 
they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, 
they will walk and not become weary."
Isaiah 40:31 

He blesses us.

"Blessed is the man who makes the Lord His trust,

who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods."

Psalm 40:4

He gives us peace and teaches us trust.

"You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in You."

Isaiah 26:3

"In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength."

Isaiah 30:15

Look at all those promises.  You know, when we wait on the Lord, we are also telling Him that we trust Him- not only His timing and goodness, but also that He will make clear to us when the timing is right.  That's a hard thing to trust, but He is faithful.  And He is good.  And He can do it.

This whole thing about waiting reminds me of Fall (my favorite time of the year).  Every year I get so anxious to see those beautiful colors.  And it never fails, come the beginning of November, that I begin to think, "They're just not going to be as good this year."  And every year it never fails that God just tells me, "Yes, darling, they're going to be even better.  Just you wait."

And so I wait...

I took these photos today.  Our God is beautiful.

Oh, hi there, little squirrel.

One of the things I'll miss, while living on the equator, is Fall.  So sad.