04 Oct Waiting. . . but for What?

All of us have to wait: waiting for results, waiting for our friends, waiting for a home, waiting for a job, waiting for a breakthrough, waiting for an open door etc. Waiting is accompanied by a sort of yearning, a longing for something that is currently not present. The psalmist compares his soul waiting for God to the deer that waits for water, in fact pants for water. When everything is stormy we wait for the haven, when we are in the haven a bit long, we look back on the old days that were like walking on the water and ask God for something new.

I guess God has to keep us waiting and yearning for him and maybe that’s all there is.

Looking at the Bible an early example is Joseph. With such an amazing dream, I’m sure that he was yearning. At home: Yea, I’m dad’s pet, this is amazing, but that dream? At Potiphar’s house: Yea, this is good, but that dream? At the prison: I really have to get out, but that dream? The yearning in his heart after what was revealed to him in his dreams must have kept Joseph running – running the course of his life in the path that God had paved for him. Much like, Paul who said, “I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” In 2 Timothy 4:7 Joseph may have said, I have run the course of my life and have seen God fulfill His dream for me. And from God’s side, “Until the time came to fulfill his dreams, the Lord tested Joseph’s character. Psalm 105:19”

Moving on to Moses at Midian, what would he have felt like, in the 40 years he spent wandering the desert. Having been born in a terrible time, identified as a special baby, growing up as a Prince with the best the world could offer and then went on to become a nobody for a while. I can’t comfortably think of how he could’ve spent time at all in the middle of a desert. Bringing up a family, listening to the wise counsel of his father in law, what great could come out of a monotonous life? Very little is told about that phase of Moses’s life probably because nothing seemed useful. In my view, Moses would’ve waited, longed for something special to come his way for some time, a long time; probably he gave up by the time God had completely took hold of him at the burning bush. He had so forgotten about his calling that he didn’t even consider circumcising his son. God doesn’t work at our pace, does he? So as long as he completely takes hold of us we must wait. David is the next one. Right when he was a lad, he was anointed by Samuel. What next, waiting! In my opinion David was quite the happy go lucky harpist wonderfully praising God with his own sheep. He could never be the same after that anointing. Sometimes, I feel God sends us a promise, a disturbance to always keep us waiting for his intervention. David knew that he no longer belonged to the pens but to the nation of Israel in its entirety. Another thing to consider is that, David was anointed King when Saul was already King, in addition Saul had sons!

Joseph had his dream come true after years and years of waiting, truly it was a great life, one might think. But you know what, Joseph never stopped waiting, he knew that his bones were not supposed to be in Egypt but waited for them to reach the Promised Land.
Moses was able to play a huge part in liberating his family and country which he solely desired but he knew when he died that the earthly Promised

Land is not as important as communing with God.

David did become a king and also went on to become one of the greatest. But his soul continuously yearned – the psalms testify to that. He also longed to build a temple for his God. He was old by then and knew that one lifetime has its purpose achieved in living with God and did not depend on anything else as much as it depended on this.

All these people in their waiting grew with God, grew in their fellowship with God. They equipped themselves and some even without knowing they were being equipped. Is the waiting worth it? Definitely because our God doesn’t give up!

“And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. “ Phil 1:6 (even if it’s getting too slow to work through, God just wouldn’t give up)

So, what are we waiting for, a promotion, a mission, a camp, a breakthrough, a break from a dead end job, a revival in church, a revival at EGF, at EU… what else? Be prepared to keep waiting, to keep longing, to keep dreaming till we have more than what we can dream, in Heaven. This one lifetime that we have cannot be enough to redeem the whole world but each of us in our own small corners can bring God’s kingdom down by being faithful in that good work he has placed in our hearts. Keep waiting, keep pursuing. After that one dream is fulfilled by God, dream again and keep waiting till he does the other one and the other one till we all get to heaven and there we needn’t dream, long or yearn anymore as our ultimate thirst will be gratified.

Ms. Emy Florence is working for the ICF, Railways in Chennai. She has been active in UESI ministries from her high school days.