Waiting
Waiting is THE WORK
A few weeks ago, I heard the most amazing sermon from one of my favorite Bible teachers, Steve Bezner of Houston Northwest church. In doing a sermon series on the fruits of the spirit, he was preaching on Patience this particular morning. I wanted to share with you some of the highlights, as it is not only applicable to all of our lives, but I was especially thinking about our “waiting families” as they walk the hard journey of waiting on the Lord’s timing to bring them the children He has for them. Because waiting IS the work…
In our Western culture in particular, “waiting” for something has a negative connotation. For the majority of us, “waiting” is seen as a transactional process- the means to an end, or to a desired outcome. But the Scripture is clear that waiting, and patience, are God’s design to bring about His purposes in our lives. In the waiting is where God is at work. We may not be able to see, but He is working quietly behind the scenes for our good, and for His glory. He is refining us, changing our hearts, giving us a new perspective. He is molding and shaping us to look more like Jesus. Many times, we don’t receive until our hearts have grown. Think of the Israelites. Forty years in the desert. What a picture of refinement. God wanted to be their sole adoration and provision. They, like us, had much to learn. Only by walking through those long seasons of waiting can we see God remind us who He is.
“Wait on the Lord” is written 140 times in the scriptures. Waiting is something that is required for those of us who are people of faith, because it reminds us that we are not in control. Waiting on the Lord is purposeful as believers because it is in the waiting that our hearts learn to trust the character of God.
So what do we do in the waiting periods of our lives? Our waiting should be active. We should be pursuing God, active in prayer, leaning in to what He has to say to us. For many of you, God has planted the seed of growing your family through adoption, and now the Holy Spirit wants to grow that seed to bear fruit. You are expectantly waiting on the Lord and trusting Him to bring that seed to bear fruit in your life. Yet, a seed must die and go into the ground before it can bring forth any fruit. A farmer or gardener waits for the seed to take root, the rains to fall, the plant to flourish and flower, until it finally produces the fruit. The things that God is doing in our hearts and in our lives do not happen overnight. This is a difficult concept to grasp in our “microwave “culture. But many things that are good take TIME.
As Pastor Steve puts it, “Patience is waiting with expectation but without aggravation”. Expecting God to fulfill your desire, but not aggravated in the wait time. Trusting that He is working all things together. Trusting that He is good, that He has what is best in store for us, and that He loves us.
So what about you? Will you wait on the Lord expectantly without aggravation? Will you trust Him? Will you believe that He is indeed good and has what is best for you in store? Will you let Him work out in your faith the things that will allow you to trust Him more? It’s work, and it will take time. Because the waiting IS the work.
— Sandi Pickett, Executive Director