Wait Upon the Lord

"The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord." (Lamentations 3:25-26)

In such a fast-paced, consumer-driven society, instant gratification has become something that is almost inherently ingrained within our psyche. Many of us have come to expect our desires and answers to our questions to arrive at the speed of fast food. Many Christians, myself included, get impatient with God's testing and growing of our faith, thinking that we should be making more progress than we are currently making. We want the rewards of a life of faith without the years that accompany it. We want greater faith, hope, love, patience, discernment, joy, etc. but create our own timeline for when it should arrive. We want to know what decisions to make concerning our life and our faith. But God is not a cook at McDonalds! Faith is not a cheeseburger; answers are not chicken nuggets. God is not concerned with how his plans for us fit into our man-made schedules. We can sometimes pursue these things frantically, losing sight of how the process itself edifies us.

I was faced with a particular decision last year that I thought would be extremely easy to make. I had worked out all the pros and cons, had talked to people I trusted concerning the decision, and believed that it would be something that edified my faith and glorified God. However, one of my good friends asked me if I had pursued God in making this decision. I realized that because I thought I could easily make the decision myself and that it would be quicker if I made it myself, I had excluded God. I had not prayed about the decision at all and God really pointed out the pride in my decision. I immediately took to Scripture and prayer. I did not hear from God right away, but I did not quit pursuing his answer, because he told me to "let my requests be made known to [Him]." (Philippians 4:6) It was over a month before God revealed his thoughts about my decision. As it turns out, I had made the right decision, but God had taught me a valuable lesson about waiting. In that month, I glimpsed the heart of God. The waiting period was just as much of a reward as the answer God gave me.

I have found that in every trial or decision, it is worth it to wait for God's voice and wait for God to finish the process. "Those who wait upon the Lord will renew their strength." (Isaiah 40:31) When we wait for God to speak and are simply still as we study his Word, we find that the waiting itself is a reward, because we encounter the heart of God. My brothers and sisters, "be still and know that [He is] God." (Psalm 46:10) You will find that it is beyond worth it.