Purpose-Filled Waiting

His Compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your Faithfulness. I say to myself, ‘The LORD is my portion; therefore I will WAIT FOR HIM.’ Lam 3:22-25

Have you ever found yourself in God’s waiting room? Ever knocked, and knocked again on His Door, but still no response… only a quiet knowingness that He is doing this deliberately, asking you to learn to wait on Him.

John Darby writes “It is God’s way to set people aside after their first start, so that self-confidence may die down. Thus, Moses had to wait 40 years. And, Paul 3 years, after his 1st testimony. Not that God did not approve his 1st earnest testimony. But, we must get to know ourselves and discover that we have no strength. Thus we learn; and then, leaning on the Lord, we can with more maturity and experience, deal with souls.”

I was sharing with a Christian friend that all of God’s Old Testament leaders had times of waiting on Him before he raised them up. A God-given call was placed on their lives and then, always l-o-n-g & l-o-n-e-l-y waits ensued. “No! Not King Saul” she replied, “he dug right in ….but, look what happened! You didn't see God do that again soon!"

Yes, she was correct, impatient Saul acted in his own strength, and disobeyed God’s instruction. In contrast, His successor, King David had learned to wait. He lifted his eyes to the hills and knew exactly where his help came from.

Saul’s pride made him an ineffective leader; but, David’s habit of waiting on God instilled a character of gentle humility. David was a strong leader because he learned to access God's supernatural strength.

In the 23rd Psalm, David says, “He MAKES me lie down in green pastures.” You get the idea that David would still like to ‘get up and go,’ but he acquiesces. David's trials taught him that The Father knows best. He allows God to lead him; restore him; guide him in paths of righteousness. AND, because David learned to yield to God’s Will, He received a very special title, even more prestigious than King of Israel... God calls David “a man after His Own Heart.”