Waiting

Still Waiting

Is waiting hard for you? I know it's hard for me. Before my husband and I got married, we both shared the same vision/desire (we still do) to serve God as full-time missionaries wherever God wanted us. Before the wedding, we got accepted by a Christian mission organization to be English teachers (and "undercover missionaries") in China. We planned to leave after our honeymoon. However, it was not meant to be. My husband collapsed during our honeymoon (I'll save the whole story for another time) and became stricken with panic attacks, anxiety, and depression for a long time. He could not leave the house and could not work. We prayed our hearts out and God heard our cries. Slowly, God has healed him (not completely yet...he's still struggling with anxiety and depression) and has sustained us. Years after years (we've been married for over 23 years) and obstacles after obstacles, we are still waiting for God to open the door for us to be full-time missionaries if it's indeed God's will for us. While waiting, God has graciously given us opportunities to serve Him wherever He has placed us. We've been involved in a ministry outreach to the international students (mostly Chinese) who attend our local university (two different cities we've lived in each have a university with lots of international students). It's like having a foreign mission field in our own backyard :). 

Waiting: Good and Necessary

Are you waiting for the right man or woman (if you're single and want to be married someday)? Are you waiting for the right job? Are you waiting to hear results from some tests? Patience must be one of the hardest virtues to embrace. It's human nature to dislike waiting. And the fact that immediate gratification is encouraged in our society is not helping, either. However, according to God's Word, waiting is a necessary thing and a good thing! Trusting God includes not only trusting His will but also trusting His timing.

"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

"I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His Word I put my hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning." Psalm 130:5-6

"The Lord longs to be gracious to you; He rises to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for Him!" Isaiah 30:18

Joseph waited 13 years.
David waited 15 years.
Abraham waited 25 years.
Moses waited 40 years.
Jesus waited 30 years.
If God is making you wait, you're in good company :).

May we all learn to wait on the Lord & wait for His answers patiently and be completely at peace while waiting and may He help us not to make mistakes of taking matters in our own hands and disobeying because we cannot wait (like Sarah, King Saul, etc.)! "The strength of patience hangs on our capacity to believe that God is up to something good for us in all our delays and detours." (John Piper) Let us wait patiently and submissively on Him who cannot fail. Our God is infinite in love, grace, mercy, and wisdom. He knows what's best for us and for His glory. 

Active Waiting

What do we do when we desperately need God's clear direction but God seems silent? We keep trusting God's heart even when we cannot trace His hand. Remember...waiting time is not wasted time. Rather, it's time for learning, growing, and preparing. Waiting time is meant to draw our hearts to deeper joy, satisfaction, contentment, confident trust, and rest in our Heavenly Father. While you wait, continue to pray and praise with thanksgiving. While you wait, continue to faithfully trust and obey God. While you wait, continue to wholeheartedly serve God and live for Him. Whatever you are waiting for today, I hope and pray that your hearts will be encouraged and your eyes will be fixed upon Jesus. Ultimately, we all wait for His return to bring us home to Himself. What a glorious joy that awaits us!