By Toni Ford
I am not sure about you, but I am not a very patient person when it comes to waiting. I looked up the word “wait” in the dictionary, and Webster defines the word as, “to stay where one is or delay action until a particular time or until something else happens.” As I was reading in the Gospel of John this week, I noticed the disciples also had a hard time waiting. John 6:16-18 says, “That evening Jesus’ disciples went down to the shore to wait for him. But as darkness fell and Jesus still hadn’t come back, they got into the boat and headed across the lake toward Capernaum. Soon a gale swept down upon them, and the sea grew very rough.”
I believe waiting can be a challenge for many of us, just as it was for the disciples. We see from the story in John that the disciples decided to get in their boat and head back toward Capernaum. However, very soon a storm arose and their challenge on the water became greater than if they had just been still and continued to wait for Jesus on the shore. Here are two reasons I personally struggle when it comes to waiting on the Lord.
Lack of Control: When things around me are unstable, or inconsistency begins to become more apparent, I begin to fight to take back control of my situation. Lack of control can also be seen as selfishness – wanting things the way I want them and when I want them. Yikes! That even hurt typing that last sentence, which means I obviously relate to those words! In His Word, the Lord tells us how to handle situations like this.
The remedy: 2 Corinthians 4:18 (NIV), “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” For me, I have to shift my thinking and begin to see how He sees, which for me happens when I stand on the truths of His Word.
Lack of Faith: I don’t 100 percent trust that Jesus can take care of my situation, which is a lack of faith in believing that God is who He says He is. When I begin to feel stress or anxiety, I realize I am not trusting Him.
The remedy: Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV), “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Jeremiah 32:27, “I am the Lord, the God of all the peoples of the world. Is anything too hard for me?” Faith does require action, and in these two verses alone we see that our responsibility is to pray and surrender to God what is on our hearts and then to trust Him, knowing that He promises in His Word there is nothing too big for Him. It is when I stand on who God is rather than on what I want Him to do for me, that my faith increases.
No doubt, waiting is difficult, and even when I wait, I might not get the outcome I wanted. However, I have learned that waiting on the Lord, His timing and His plans for my life far exceed my timing and plans for my life. Therefore, today my prayer for each of us is Psalm 37:7 which says, “Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him.”
If you would like continued prayer, feel free to email me at tonif77@gmail.com. I would love to pray for you!