THE LAW OF WAITING
We all know about the law of gravity, but have you ever heard of the law of waiting? It really should be included as one of the universal laws. I say that because it seems like we are always waiting for something or someone. Mainly, we are waiting for something to happen. We go to bed at night and lay there waiting to get up in the morning. After we are up, we wait for our toast to pop up, and then we hurry to the corner to wait for our ride to either school or work. I would venture to say we spend two-thirds of our time waiting and the other one-third waiting for something worth waiting for. Still waiting for "Mr. or Miss Right" to sweep you away? "The law of waiting" is always waiting for you; it's like air, and its everywhere you go. The person who brings you a menu at a restaurant is called a waiter. Why is this person called a waiter instead of a magician? It's simply because you will have to wait for your order. For those who want to beat "the law of waiting," you can order an appetizer to be brought to your table promptly. Running a little short on cash? You will have to wait until payday. Then there is getting ready for church on Sunday morning. You're always ready, but you have to wait for the rest of the household, still trying to decide what to wear. There's no let up; it never ends, not even on Sunday. Sometimes it seems like we do more waiting than breathing. What keeps us waiting is anticipation. Our toast will pop up. Our ride will get there. Your soul mate is just around the corner. The meal will be served. You will not starve until payday, and all the family will eventually find the right clothes to wear to church.
We all know about the law of gravity, but have you ever heard of the law of waiting? It really should be included as one of the universal laws. I say that because it seems like we are always waiting for something or someone. Mainly, we are waiting for something to happen. We go to bed at night and lay there waiting to get up in the morning. After we are up, we wait for our toast to pop up, and then we hurry to the corner to wait for our ride to either school or work. I would venture to say we spend two-thirds of our time waiting and the other one-third waiting for something worth waiting for. Still waiting for "Mr. or Miss Right" to sweep you away? "The law of waiting" is always waiting for you; it's like air, and its everywhere you go. The person who brings you a menu at a restaurant is called a waiter. Why is this person called a waiter instead of a magician? It's simply because you will have to wait for your order. For those who want to beat "the law of waiting," you can order an appetizer to be brought to your table promptly. Running a little short on cash? You will have to wait until payday. Then there is getting ready for church on Sunday morning. You're always ready, but you have to wait for the rest of the household, still trying to decide what to wear. There's no let up; it never ends, not even on Sunday. Sometimes it seems like we do more waiting than breathing. What keeps us waiting is anticipation. Our toast will pop up. Our ride will get there. Your soul mate is just around the corner. The meal will be served. You will not starve until payday, and all the family will eventually find the right clothes to wear to church.
GOD WORKS THROUGH WAITING
We know many things about God. He is just, rich in mercy and grace, and He makes us wait. He is never late, but he does not arrive early either. A friend said to me, "I know God works through making us wait, but I would like to ask Him, "what's wrong with right now?"
LAZARUS - JOHN CHAPTER 11
Jesus received a message that His friend Lazarus was sick. It was imperative that He get there as early as possible lest he die. Jesus then told His disciples they will wait two days longer before departing for Bethany. Lazarus and his sisters, Mary and Martha, loved Jesus and believed He could heal their brother's sickness if He got there early enough. Martha felt there might be some hope. Why did Jesus make them wait? Jesus said Lazarus' sickness is for the glory of God so that the Son of God may be glorified through it. By the time Jesus arrived, Lazarus was dead four days, and there was a bad odor coming from the tomb. There as no doubt to the onlookers that he was dead. What the Jews saw was something that only God could do. Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. Some believed in Jesus and some still rejected Him. Jesus was not early, but He was right on time. For Him to arrive early, a lesser miracle would have happened. But because He was right on time, He introduced us to a loving, caring, life-giving all-powerful God. Had He arrived earlier, we would not have seen the bigger picture of God.
WAITING ON GOD - II PETER 3:8
Noah, from the time of God's command to build the ark, waited and worked for 120 years before the flood. From the time of God's promise to Abraham, it would be 400 years before his descendants could claim the land of Canaan. Abraham had to wait until he was 100 and Sara was 90 before God gave them an heir. From the time of the decree to rebuild the temple to the time of the birth of Jesus was 490 years. Waiting for Christ to return: two thousand years and counting!
SPORTS
Sporting events capture our interest. It is with anticipation that we wait for the snap from center in a football game; in baseball, it's the next pitch to the plate. The waiting time for the snap or the next pitch is short, but the excitement of the wait keeps our eyes fixed on the quarterback or the pitcher. The excitement puts us in the game.
SECOND COMING OF OUR LORD
I John 3:1-3, "Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore, the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are the children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure." (NKJV)
Waiting for our Lord with excitement and anticipation takes us out of the stands and on to the playing field. Anticipation is what puts us into the game; we are part of the action. Whatever our doctrinal differences are on the second coming of Christ, and there are many, there is one truth we must get right. "And everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself just as He is pure."
PASSIVE WAITING
Sitting next to my son and me at a Detroit Tiger baseball game was a man, his wife, and two sons. His wife sat passively reading a paperback book. When one of the Tigers hit a home run, the excitement brought the crowd to their feet with a loud cheer, except for this lady. No matter the excitement throughout the game, she never stood, never cheered, did not take her eyes off the book, and was not even curious enough to look out on the field to see what her husband and sons along with the fans were cheering about. She was simply waiting for the game to end.
That we wait is not in question. The "law of waiting" states that we must wait, whether it's for a piece of toast, a traffic light, or the coming of our Lord. The real question is how well do we wait? We can passively sit back reading a paperback and be oblivious to the excitement that is before our eyes, or we can choose to enjoy the excitement.
ENJOY THE WAIT
We are waiting for the coming of Jesus Christ; this is in God's hands. How we "do the waiting" is important to the joy of being a Christian. This is why all believers throughout history were looking expectantly and exhorted to be ready for His coming.
How do we enjoy the wait? I John 3:3, "And everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as He is pure." So the next time you're waiting for the toast to pop up, or that stupid stop light to hurry up and turn green, or pacing the floor while your clan makes up their minds how they want to look for church today, stop and consider the joy of waiting.
No comments:
Post a Comment