4/2 by Mary Wilson

I like being busy, and I love to cross items off my to-do list.  A product of my American culture,  I enjoy being productive, getting things done and reaching goals.  Waiting around for something to happen or someone to come can wear me out!   Yet the Bible tells us that waiting can be a blessing especially if we are waiting on the Lord.

I am still confident of this:

I will see the goodness of the Lord

in the land of the living.

Wait for the Lord 

be strong and take heart

and wait for the Lord  Psalm 27:13-14

Waiting on the Lord might seem like a serious speed bump on a busy Monday. But actually waiting on the Lord in prayer can be like taking an express train. While I enjoy some good quality time with Jesus, He is planning my day and making priorities clear. I can trust him to keep my paths straight. The Lord encourages fruitfulness and industry, but he prefers we check in with him before we bolt out of the gate. In fact, He loves when we ask him to be involved in every aspect of our lives .

“His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse,

nor his delight in the legs of a man;

 the Lord  delights in those who fear him 

who put their hope in his unfailing love.”   Psalm 147:10-11

Waiting for the Lord is not like the waiting at the DMV.  Waiting on the Lord calls us to engage in some of the most crucial work of our lives : listening, praying and discernment. Sometimes the Lord gives us wonderful activities to grow us while we are waiting for his guidance. My best story about waiting has to do with the three years I waited for Andy to propose.  Shortly after I met Andy I knew that I wanted to be his wife. (Cross engagement ring off my list!)  But the Lord had so much to teach me before I was ready to start on that adventure.  He wanted me to fix my eyes on him in prayer and Bible study.  He gave me lots of training during those years.  Working as a youth advisor along side the world’s most energetic youth minister (my future husband)  required making sacrifices and taking risks. It made my job as a TV producer look like a cake walk.  It gave me lots of great insights into the man I was to marry.  For one thing, I learned how much he loved every kid he ever met and that I would have to share him with more kids than I ever imagined. But after waiting on the Lord and Andy for three years, I was okay with sharing, because I loved those kids, too.

I realize now that during those three years my Love Perfect Father was working out what was best for me and Andy.  If I had only known just how how busy he was preparing me for marriage, I never would have worried or cried about not getting a wedding ring when I wanted.  

I still have trouble waiting, but I take comfort in knowing that God is busier than ever working out his purposes for my life.  As the giver of my life and lover of my soul, I have a permanent spot on his to-do list!  That confidence gives me  determination to join the psalmist in waiting on the Lord all day long.