Where Do You Wait?

Within This Woman’s House

 

Where do you Wait?

 

What comes to mind when we think of waiting?

 

Descriptions like anxiety, stress, impatience, frustration and at times anger can come to mind for some people. Peace of mind and security are not at the top of the list. Just a hunch, and most likely true for many people. Most of us are not spiritually mature just yet; we are very human!

“How we wait” is very important!

To wait is an active word. It means to delay doing something. Or to stay in one place because you hope that something is going to happen.

None of that description sounds fun to me, and most would agree, waiting is not easy.

What do you “wait for”? Is it something you are waiting to hear? Are you paying off a bill or working toward a financial goal? Do we wait for someone else to change or say, “I am sorry”? Is it a dream job, retirement, or a vacation? Maybe test results or a surgery coming up?  A child who has turned away or a sibling that is too busy to call. So, we wait.

I found this in my reading the other day…

Psalm 40:1-3

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

He lifted me out of the slimy pit. Out of mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the Lord and put their trust in him.

Biblical application is very relevant for all of us because WISDOM NEVER AGES!  This is a response for those people who tell us that the bible is not relevant to current times. I heard once that faces and places may change but history (or people) repeats itself.

Isn’t it true?  We can find someone in the bible facing the same type of choices we do today. Nothing is new regarding good and evil, or the way people can approach a circumstance or relationship with another. Let’s take a closer look at Psalm 40.

The psalmist could be you or me. Let’s assume it is.

I waited patiently for the Lord. Or as patiently as I could… but I was hurting.  I waited… because I could not move forward…because I could not force circumstances to change... because I could not change someone else… so I waited and prayed. Finally, when I was tired of fighting what I could not change on my own, I turned to God again.

It was then that he (God) turned to me and heard my cry. Thank you, Lord, for hearing my cry!

God lifted me out of the slimy pit. Out of the mud and mire. I had to look up this word “mire”. It has 2 definitions: a stretch of swampy ground or a situation/state of difficulty or distress from which it is hard to extricate or free oneself from. BINGO!

So, God lifted me out of the slimy pit that I could not get out of myself…or the mess I created or that was created around me. He lifted me out of the mire, the situation that seems unrelenting, the person who will not move in a different direction, the child who is not listening to good advice, the boss who is taking advantage of us…that is mire.

He lifted the psalmist out…as he will lift you out also.

He set my feet on a firm place to stand.

Where is that place for you right now? Are you trying to create that firm place to stand? Is it built on a solid foundation? I pray so. I pray that your foundation is built on a rock, an unchanging rock, one that does not weather over time. Rock can turn into sediment over time, so, our firm foundation must be on the rock of all ages.

The rock that never ages with wear and tear is really a spiritual rock.

And that rock is Jesus.

The psalmist continues…

He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Can you imagine and see the palmist rejoicing? Thanking the Rock, the Lord, who has answered a prayer?

Have you said a prayer when you were distressed?

God always answers our prayers. Yes, he does.

When our prayers are not answered the way we desire, it is not because God does not love us or want what we want. The unanswered prayers will be answered in God’s way. Maybe on a timetable that we do not appreciate. Maybe in a way we do not want.

However, we change while walking on that path. We must change.

It could be a change in awareness…give God time. He will show you what he wants you to understand.

You see, “waiting” brings a deeper understanding. It must…if we allow it to.

Is it uncomfortable? Sometimes it is.

Does it drive us crazy? Sometimes it does.

We always ask questions to God. Why did something happen a certain way? Maybe the result has not been revealed.

Give God time to answer.

The psalmist started singing praises because he put his trust in the Lord. That does not mean that he directed God’s path to answer a prayer request. We do not know what the psalmist prayed for and how it was answered. We do not know how long he waited for that prayer to be answered or the twists and turns the path took. So, it is with us!

We do not direct God’s path toward answered prayer. He knows all. He sees all. He will guide our lives in one direction…toward a closer relationship with him.

The psalmist continues… Many will see and fear the Lord and put their trust in him. The psalmist is convinced that God will receive the glory and praise for people to see. Others are witnessing God in action. They will have watched how he, the psalmist, or you my dear friend, feared and respected the Lord. We waited and trusted patiently for an answer.

God “delivers” when we pray.

It is important to understand that we cannot SEE all. We do not KNOW all. There is a bigger picture in each of our walks in life.

Waiting is an opportunity for growth.

Believe that God hears your request, even cries to get out of the slimy pit, mud, or mire. He will lift you out, trust in him. Seek him. Find him by opening your bible today. Give him 10 minutes of your time today. The words of God will build the firm foundation.

And when it is the right moment in time, he will put a new song in your heart. A prayer will be answered. Exactly as you need it to be.

 

Copyright © 2020 Within This Woman’s House. All scripture taken from: Holy Bible, New International Version ®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

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