wait quietly

Trust and wait are still my theme words for this season and I get excited when I see that God has provided me with a new resource to consider more deeply these words and their application in my life. Currently the sermon series at church is on the Psalms. The Psalm writers often talk about trusting in the Lord and waiting on Him, so it's no surprise that the sermons preached on Psalm 78 and Psalm 23 touched on these topics. I was challenged to consider some familiar words of scripture in new ways and encouraged by the Truth that our Heavenly Father is completely worthing of my trusting and waiting. He is in fact a very good Shepherd. If  you would like to listen to either sermon, go here.

Each morning in my inbox is a daily devotional written by Elisabeth Elliot. Ms. Elliot has been one of my favorite Christian writers since high school. She's real and honest about her walk with the Lord, her own struggles, and the truth of God's Word. God has used her books and devotionals to teach me so much about His love and what it means to be a woman of God. This is what she challenged me with recently...

Wait Quietly

Few of us enjoy having to wait for something we want. It is human nature to desire instant gratification, and it is divine nature to do many things very, very slowly. Growth is always imperceptible. But the farmer exercises long patience in waiting for his crop. He has done his work and is assured of the result, hence he waits quietly. He is at rest because the outcome (barring disastrous "acts of God") is certain. If we could simply remember that this is true of everything--that God's purposes are slowly being worked out for his glory and our good--we would, like the farmer, keep faith and wait quietly.


Lord, take from us all fretting and hurrying and teach us to rest our hearts in the "ultimate certainty" (Jas 5:7 JBP). 
 
Author: Elisabeth Elliot
Source: A Lamp For My Feet

Scripture Reference: James 5:7

What is God asking you to wait quietly for?

trust & wait

Please join me for a short English language lesson...

trust
[truhst]
–verb (used with object)
1. to have trust or confidence in; rely or depend on.
2. to believe.
3. to expect confidently; hope (usually followed by a clause or infinitive as object): trusting the job would soon be finished; trusting to find oil on the land.

wait
[weyt]
–verb (used without object)
1. to remain inactive or in a state of repose, as until something expected happens (often followed by for, till, or until ): to wait for the bus to arrive.

I don't usually find themes or single words to describe a season in my life. However, this past weekend God was making it really clear to me that 1) I need to TRUST Him more (and with everything) and 2) I need to wait. Wait for what? Well, I think I'm supposed to trust God and see. Funny how that works.

I've always loved words and their meanings. I had a little set of reference books when I was young. They were black faux-leather with gold lettering on the covers. There were several books, but the dictionary and the thesaurus were my favorites. I would use them when writing papers for school (before I had to type everything in Word). Sometimes I would just read them. Nerdy, I know. My love for words is one of the reasons I get excited about Study Bibles and concordances and notes and cross-referencing. When I learn more about what a single word means in the Bible, in its context and compared with other references, it helps me gain a better understanding of the whole picture--and it gives that word power and substance to teach and change me.

These two words--trust and wait--keep coming up in my personal Bible study, Sunday morning sermons, conversations, prayer with friends, and in my email devotionals. So, I looked them up. And I love these definitions! They fit so well with applying the two verbs to my relationship with the Lord. I want to have more confidence in God, to rely and depend on Him. He is trustworthy! And while I'm not "trusting to find oil in the land," I am trusting to find God moving in my life and providing for my needs and guiding my steps. I believe in the Lord; I trust Him.

Do I trust Him enough to wait? And wait patiently? I find the definition for "wait" more challenging than "trust." To wait is "to remain inactive or in a state of repose, as until something expected happens." Hmm... I do not believe that waiting on God should be inactive. While it may be tempting to sit and do nothing until I get some big, message in the sky, type of direction, I truly believe that God has purpose in my present position--and I need to make the most of it. I must keep serving Him and seeking to glorify Him in my now. No, waiting on God is not "inactive." So, I looked up repose and I found these words: being at rest, peace, tranquility, calm. Yes, that is the kind of waiting I want to do. Especially if I am waiting for "something expected" as the definition says. Or perhaps, it will be unexpected? I do expect that whatever it is that my Lord has for me will be good--the Romans 8:28 kind of good. The making me more like Jesus kind of good. The definitely worth waiting for kind of good.

And so I pray that I would TRUST Jesus more each day. With open hands and an open heart, I trust. And I pray that I would WAIT on Jesus with peace and tranquility in my heart; expecting Him to lead me and direct me when I need it; knowing that it is for my good and for His glory.

Will you trust and wait with me?