The Pitfalls of Waiting - Isaiah 30:18 Part III

The Pitfalls of Waiting – Isaiah 30:18 – Part III

More so than anything else, fear fuels impatience.  In the recent aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, nearly 15,000 survivors relocated to the Nashville area.  Among them was a large extended family with several adults and multiple children.  In their fear of not “having a place to stay,” two of the adults rushed and signed an apartment lease with a landlord.  The living space was not adequate to meet the needs of the family.  As they were negotiating with the landlord, a house with no rental fee for a year became available.  The family was advised to forego the lease opportunity and consider the house option.  But, fear pressured them into signing the lease.  When they realized that the house option was a most realistic blessing without any “strings attached,” they attempted to nullify the lease but the landlord would not release them from the obligations of the lease.  As I recite the story, I wonder how many blessings that we forego each day because of our failure to wait on God.

Anger is the final pitfall of waiting for God.  Fury equals energy.  It is one of the most potent feelings that we have.  Thus, it is deceptive.  Because of its empowering nature, anger makes us feel more alive than most other emotions.  Anger also makes us feel that others must take us seriously given the sincerity and significance of our emotions.  But, anger actually resembles a raging fire which destroys everything in its path - faith, trust, belief, relationships, jobs, marriages, families, etc.  We rarely make right choices when we act out of anger which “Turns off the light in the mind.” As we wait for God, it is very important that we try to control our tempers.  You may recall the incident at Meribah in which the people groaned for water.  Moses called upon the Lord to provide water and quench the people’s thirst.  The Lord instructs Moses to tap the rock with his staff.  In anger at the Israelite’s persistent moaning and groaning, Moses strikes the rock.  His anger results in Moses’ disobedience of God’s command.  That incident of acting out of anger costs Moses his heartfelt desire to enter the Promised Land.  Similarly, many of us deprive ourselves of the bliss of the Promised Land of God’s will when we allow the emotional narcotic of anger to determine our decisions.

Waiting on Almighty God need not necessarily leave in the pits of the wilderness.  Rather, we also have the option of retreating to the upper room of prayer and empowerment.  Biblically speaking, waiting means preparation.  It is not a period of mental, emotional and spiritual idleness.  It is also not a time of physical inertia.  Instead, waiting on the Lord is a period of intense activity.  Practically speaking, it requires that one does the next right and best thing in accordance with God’s daily guidance and revelation of His word and will. 

Just as there are five pitfalls to avoid in waiting, there are five spiritual principles to acquire while waiting.  Again, the first is to use the time and experience as a period of preparation for one’s next assignment in kingdom building.  Henry T, Blackaby, in his best selling book, Experiencing God, speaks compellingly about the importance of preparation in ministry.  The Lord prepares those persons whom He calls.  Perhaps, you find yourself waiting because you are not yet prepared for the next assignment.  Yet, God knows all of the details concerning what you need in order to accomplish the task set before you.  Like a favorite dish that needs to marinate, we often need to remain in our present circumstances until we have learned sufficiently certain spiritual lessons necessary to our success in the forthcoming assignment.  Should we disregard the significance of preparation, we will find ourselves on the battlefield without the requisite spiritual armor and war plans. 

As I reflect upon my three years in seminary, I more greatly appreciate them as a season of preparation for the ministry that laid before me.  Although I studied a lot, I now wish that I had studied even more.  That time was afforded to me as a period for the theological, biblical and philosophical foundation for my ministry.  Whereas I continue to study, read and reflect upon such issues, it is far more challenging in the throes of daily ministry and activity.  Seminary was a calling to the assignment of preparation enroute to my divinely ordained ministry in the pastorate and the community.