Question: What does waiting mean?

What does it mean to wait on God?

What does it mean to wait? 

What does wait even mean?

Right now I’m going through a part of life where I’m having to wait - A LOT, so those are the questions I’m asking.  Some of you may know, but I’ve yet to learn what it really means to wait on God.  I understand that we’re supposed too, but many times I feel like we confuse waiting with laziness, and I hate laziness, especially in myself so in turn, I really hate the idea of waiting.  In case you’re wondering, here’s some of the background.

This past summer my wife and I traveled with a great ministry called Clear Camps.  This was our second summer to travel with the organization and we absolutely wouldn’t have done anything else.  We made some great friends and got to learn a lot of what it means to be leaders.  

After the summer my wife was able to go back to her job, but I felt that the Lord wanted me to not go back to mine.  I was fine with that as I felt that it was only a job for a season.  I learned a great deal about myself.  But coming back, knowing what the Lord had called me to, I expected to find a job quickly.  

After we got back from the summer I did what most of us would do and start contacting people for opportunities and applying for jobs.  In doing this though, and without including God in the decision making process, we can easily get ourselves into all sorts of problems.  For me, it was pursuing an opportunity that I really didn’t know much about, but had heard some significant things about it from the amazing people I met within that organization. The more I got in, the more I realized how much it wasn’t for me.  

Opportunity number two didn’t pose much success either as it didn’t go past the first meeting.  I became extremely discouraged after this, as some of you can imagine.  It was here that I really began to search for what the Lord was wanting me to do, and his answer was, Wait. 

If you’re anything like me and grown up in church, then waiting on God is not a new concept as we hear it all the time.  David wrote about waiting in the Psalms.  Paul discussed waiting on Christ in his writings.  So it’s not a new thing.  

Despite that, I need a practical answer.  I need action steps.  A path to take.  Something beyond, “Wait, because it’s in the Bible.”  To me, that answer for any problem in life is useless.  It gives nothing of value, at least not to me.  Nevertheless here’s what I wound up doing, looking up the definition of wait.

Here’s what I found: Wait - to stay, to serve or attend to (like a waiter in a restaurant or nurse), to patiently anticipate, to look forward to eagerly, and to be available or in readiness. 

The ones that caught me were “to patiently anticipate” and “to be available or in readiness.”

Now some of you may look at that and prefer the word wait. To patiently anticipate is no better of an explanation.  I get that.  It’s just a word thing for me.  There’s more action involved in anticipation for me than waiting.  I really like the action part, the one that gives some sort of movement. Let's look at this verse. 

Psalm 130:5 says, “I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope.”

It really is a great verse. Wait on the Lord, and put our hope in his Word. But it doesn’t say too much to me. Consider this paraphrase with me 

• I patiently anticipate the Lord, my soul stands in readiness, and in him all my expectations are centered. 

So my conclusion is this.  To wait on the Lord is to patiently anticipate his calling us to action.  It is searching for Him.  It is be ready to go when he says go and stop when he says stop.  Waiting is the antithesis of laziness and idleness.  Waiting is expecting.  

So now, when the Lord tells me to wait I know, Waiting = Patiently Anticipate in Readiness.

Book Review: Greater

I recently finished reading the book Greater by Steven Furtick. He is well known as the writer of Sun Stand Still and the lead pastor of Elevation Church in Charlotte, North Carolina. 

Greater: dream bigger, start smaller, ignite God’s vision for your life is a book about just that, igniting God’s vision for our lives. Throughout this entire book he shows us that God is ready to give us more, if we are willing to go for it. Furtick says, “The thing is, most believers aren’t in imminent danger of ruining their lives. They’re facing a danger that’s far greater: wasting them.”  His desire is for every Christian to find the full potential God has for them. 

Overall this book was really great to read.  Furtick bases his entire work on the life of Elisha, and how he came to be one of the greatest prophets we know of in Scripture. He is saying that God has more for each and everyone of us, just like he had for Elisha. This book sure has challenged me to look at my own faith and walk with God and see that there is much more to Christianity than living a mundane life. My kindle version is now full of highlights and notes! 

I received this e-book for free to review from Waterbrook Multnomah Publishers. If you would like your own copy I suggest Amazon. 

David

Trust

Trust. It’s something I believe all Christians struggle with from time to time. Circumstances, emotions, maybe past experiences, but most probably Satan’s lies, can all lead us to a place where we find it hard to trust others, and even God. Most of those times it’s probably logical, valid, and very understandable to think; “Where is God?” “What is he doing?”or “How can God be in this?” Or, as Andy Stanley says, what do you do when God is Inattentive, Uncooperative, or Late?

But even in those times, where we feel like God is nowhere to be found, we can have confidence in the fact that he is trustworthy. He is faithful, constant, loyal and so on. What’s intriguing for me is that he often reminds me of this before I go through a season that could lead to distrust in Him. Let’s look at some of the scripture he showed me:

Matthew 28:6 “He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.” (NIV)
In my mind that verse reads like this - “He’s not here. He’s risen, just as he said he would. Go and look if you don’t believe me. 

Here’s what I think the take away is from this:

1. Jesus’ words were 100% fulfilled. He said that he would be killed and then rise from the dead in three days. His words can be trusted. 
2. As God speaks to us today, we can rest in knowing that He will fulfill his promises to us. 

To remind you that His word can be trusted from beginning to end, let’s go to Genesis 13:14-18; 

"14 The Lord said to Abram after Lot had parted from him, “Look around from where you are, to the north and south, to the east and west. 15 All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever. 16 I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted. 17 Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you.”18 So Abram went to live near the great trees of Mamre at Hebron, where he pitched his tents. There he built an altar to the Lord."

This is where God first gives Abram a promise that he will make his offspring like the dust of the earth. But, it wasn’t until many years, and a few screw ups on Abram’s part that God began to fulfill this promise through Isaac.  Years later, after the birth of Isaac, I’m sure Abraham was wondering, “God, why are you asking me to sacrifice the son you have given me? How will my offspring be like the dust of the earth if you take him from me?” (Gen 22).  But at this point, we know the rest of the story. Through his obedience, God blessed Abraham, but in those first moments, I’m sure he went through many doubts and questions, wondering if God would really provide the lamb.

So what is God asking you to trust him with today? I bet some of us are where Abraham was in those moments where God asked him to sacrifice Isaac. He’s asking us to give up something. To trust Him. Others of us may be at the beginning, where God has given us a promise, but has yet to fulfill it. And some may be able to look back and see the whole story up to this point. God promised you something and fulfilled it. 

All in all, God is trustworthy. His Word shows us that from the beginning to end. We may not know exactly what he is doing, or when he’ll do it, but he will. 

What is God asking you to trust him with today, in this season of your life?

Immanuel

It’s Christmas Eve!

Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year. Streets, businesses, and houses are all decorated in lights, snow, blow-up figures, trees, and so much more. People are typically nicer than they are the rest of the year. Families make time in their busy schedules to spend with each other. Overall it’s just a pleasant time of year. 

This year has been different for me. I’ve been super busy lately and haven’t made too much time to reflect on what Christmas means. But in the short time I have reflected on the meaning of Christmas, the term Immanuel stuck out to me greatly. 

Right before Thanksgiving, I strongly believe that God put this word on my heart to reflect on.  The term itself comes from the book of Matthew and means “God with us.” I did some research on the meaning of this name of Jesus and found that it is significant because God chose to be with us instead of being against us, or opposed to us. 

Think about that. Humanity was full of unholiness, sin, and was far from God. Because of his vast love for us, he chose to be with his creation. He chose to bring salvation to humanity because he loves us. That salvation is still available to humanity today. 

God still loves humanity. He loves me. He loves you. He chose to be with me and he chose to be with you. 

So that’s what I’m reflecting on this Christmas season. God’s love for me. Every time I hear the name Immanuel in sermons, talking, or songs I’m reminded of his ultimate act of love, shown for me, and for you. 

I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas!

-DS

Book Review: Man Alive

I just finished reading a new book called Man Alive by Patrick Morley.  Morley is know for his book The Man in the Mirror, which has sold around three million copies, and for leading a weekly bible study that reaches over 5,000 men called The Man in the Mirror Bible Study. 

Man Alive is a book relating to helping men find their God given purpose in life. It’s about pushing men to live a life outside of mediocrity, one where we are not just going about days half alive, or just existing. Morley’s intention in this book is to help men answer questions, about themselves, their families, and God. 

I really thought Man Alive was an easy book to read. It is thought provoking, yet not wordy. It is setup well, explaining major problems in many men’s lives with solutions to help solve those problems. Each chapter ended with questions that, if one were to take the time to answer, would help a man examine himself. Even though each chapter is about 20 - 25 pages, they feel short and straight to the point, something I believe most men can relate with. 

Overall this is a great book for men. I would definitely recommend it if you are seeking answers to questions in your life like:

- I don’t feel like God cares about me personally - why?

- Why are my most important relationships not working?

- Where do these destructive behaviors of mine come from?

- How can I live a life that will make a difference in the world?

I received this book for free to review from Waterbrook Multnomah Publishers. If you would like your own copy I suggest Amazon. 

David