WAITING ON THE LORD

 

 

One of the most puzzling things about the Bible is the promised blessings for obedience and the curses for disobedience (Deuteronomy 28,29). Well, what’s so puzzling about them? Often, the Psalmists lament at seeing that the evil are blessed and the righteous cursed:

 

·       For I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. For they have no pangs until death; their bodies are fat and sleek. They are not in trouble as others are; they are not stricken like the rest of mankind. (Psalm 73:3-5)

 

He therefore was tormented by what he had been observing:

 

·       All in vain have I kept my heart clean and washed my hands in innocence. (Psalm 73:13)

 

Are the promised blessings for the righteous a vain hope? Should we instead live like the unrighteous do? The Psalmist finally was comforted by a divine revelation and enabled to see the big picture:

 

·       When my soul was embittered, when I was pricked in heart, I was brutish and ignorant; I was like a beast toward you. Nevertheless, I am continually with you; you hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory. (Psalm 73:21-24)

 

What made the difference? God had enabled him to see the eternal reward. The promised blessings would be fulfilled in heaven. Therefore, the Bible instructs us to have patience and wait:

 

·       Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices! (Psalm 37:5-7)

 

One source claimed, “The word “wait” appears 139 times throughout the books of the Bible.” Clearly, patience and waiting are thoroughly Biblical:

 

·       But they who wait for 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. (Isaiah 40:31)

 

Therefore, we shouldn’t be discouraged if our prayers seem to go unanswered, and we are afflicted as Paul had been (2 Corinthians 12:7-10). Meanwhile, we are required to persevere in well-doing:

 

·       And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. (Galatians 6:9)

 

If we receive immediate blessings when sowing our good deeds, do not expect to receive an immediate payoff in the future:

 

·       Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains… (James 5:7)

 

Waiting is the norm, despite the claims that we should expect immediate prayer results:

 

·       Indeed, none who wait for you shall be put to shame; they shall be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous...Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long. (Psalm 25:3, 5)

 

We are required to suffer as Christ had (2 Corinthians 4:10-11). Therefore, our Reward is not to be found in this world. Instead, like Jesus, we endure by looking to the next world:

 

·       looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:2)

 

Nevertheless, along with the painful trials, our Savior will also deliver us, in due time, to teach us to trust in Him:

 

·       No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. (1 Corinthians 10:13)

 

But God often doesn’t provide the “way of escape” on the next block. He has His own timetable (1 Peter 5:10).

 

If we are prepared to wait, we will not so easily become discouraged. If we expect immediate results, we might think that something is terribly wrong with what God had promised or even our faith.

 

Why do we have trouble waiting? I think that one big reason is that we fail to understand the need for it. Therefore, we grieve when we have to endure “needless” suffering.

 

Perhaps we are relying too much on our own limited reasoning, but we are warned against this:

 

·       Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding…Be not wise in your own eyes. (Proverbs 3:5, 7)

 

Sometimes, I am wise in my own eyes. I had to endure four setbacks due to lower back spasms, and I could see no purpose in it! Result—anger and despair. Instead, I had to remind myself that my Savior has a blessed purpose for it (Romans 8:28) preparing me for heaven:

 

·       For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison. (2 Corinthians 4:17)

 

We might not be able to see it, but we must praise Him for it (Romans 5:2-5). We must grow in the appreciation of how little we know (1 Corinthians 8:2). Then, we will be more willing to trust in what the Lord knows.