Waiting With Him
Love is patient. I've heard and quoted this statement a thousand times when reciting the familiar 1 Corinthians passage. I tend to swiftly move on to the second love adjective because I have no patience to linger here. Oh the irony! I don't like the word patience because I know me. I worry. I tire. I stress. I'm in a hurry for relief. I want quick clarity and definitive answers and I wanted it yesterday. But when I replace the word 'love' with 'God,' the one who IS love, my focus changes and peace ensues. Why? Because instead of feeling pressure to become something I am not, I realize I can simply rest in what He already is. God is patient. He is patient with us and for us. His plans are patient. He is not surprised. He is not worried. He is not exhausted. He is not anxious. He fears nothing. And if he is my daddy in whom I've entrusted my life, I don't have to muster up a peaceful feeling that will soon fade. I can rest in Him and all he has done because I know who I am in Him.
But we cannot deny the reality of the wait. My thirty years as a believer has been a series of waiting periods in often difficult circumstances. Why is this happening? What's he going to do? Will he fix this? How's he going to fix it? Will I like the way he fixes it? I think the problem is that I am waiting ON Him when I should just be waiting WITH Him. Or even better, WALK with him. If we consider Joseph's life as an example, we see how God was WITH Joseph while he managed Potipher's household as a slave. He was WITH him again while he managed a warden's business as an innocent prisoner. God used the worst possible circumstances to prepare Joseph to later manage the most powerful country and save millions of people including his brothers who betrayed him. All the while he probably just wanted to live an ordinary life with his family.
“Joseph is the foal of a wild donkey, the foal of a wild donkey at a spring— one of the wild donkeys on the ridge. Archers attacked him savagely; they shot at him and harassed him. But his bow remained taut, and his arms were strengthened by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob, by the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel. Genesis 49:22-24.
Although Joseph was faithful to God, he was still a fallen man. While God used Joseph's faithfulness and blessed him as a skillful leader, he still used every moment and every circumstance to sanctify him. Even after all God had done for Joseph he struggled with his flesh when faced with those who betrayed him before. But Joseph knew that only God could have orchestrated all that had taken place in his life as a result of his brothers' sinful actions. His desire to glorify His all powerful, eternal God outweighed any sinful desire to settle a useless, temporary score. Any tangible desire for the future pales in comparison to all God intends to do in and through us as we walk with Him on this journey. God wastes nothing.
When we set our minds on Jesus and eternity, we begin to see our difficult circumstances through a spiritual lens instead of that of our flesh. Every painful moment counts and every trial or point of suffering God uses to make us more like Him. When we focus on the end game and our ultimate purpose, the difficulties we face in the mean time are a little easier to bear. And if we are willing, we can see there's just as much value in the daunting journey of living, loving, and waiting as there is in our divine destination.
But we cannot deny the reality of the wait. My thirty years as a believer has been a series of waiting periods in often difficult circumstances. Why is this happening? What's he going to do? Will he fix this? How's he going to fix it? Will I like the way he fixes it? I think the problem is that I am waiting ON Him when I should just be waiting WITH Him. Or even better, WALK with him. If we consider Joseph's life as an example, we see how God was WITH Joseph while he managed Potipher's household as a slave. He was WITH him again while he managed a warden's business as an innocent prisoner. God used the worst possible circumstances to prepare Joseph to later manage the most powerful country and save millions of people including his brothers who betrayed him. All the while he probably just wanted to live an ordinary life with his family.
“Joseph is the foal of a wild donkey, the foal of a wild donkey at a spring— one of the wild donkeys on the ridge. Archers attacked him savagely; they shot at him and harassed him. But his bow remained taut, and his arms were strengthened by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob, by the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel. Genesis 49:22-24.
Although Joseph was faithful to God, he was still a fallen man. While God used Joseph's faithfulness and blessed him as a skillful leader, he still used every moment and every circumstance to sanctify him. Even after all God had done for Joseph he struggled with his flesh when faced with those who betrayed him before. But Joseph knew that only God could have orchestrated all that had taken place in his life as a result of his brothers' sinful actions. His desire to glorify His all powerful, eternal God outweighed any sinful desire to settle a useless, temporary score. Any tangible desire for the future pales in comparison to all God intends to do in and through us as we walk with Him on this journey. God wastes nothing.
When we set our minds on Jesus and eternity, we begin to see our difficult circumstances through a spiritual lens instead of that of our flesh. Every painful moment counts and every trial or point of suffering God uses to make us more like Him. When we focus on the end game and our ultimate purpose, the difficulties we face in the mean time are a little easier to bear. And if we are willing, we can see there's just as much value in the daunting journey of living, loving, and waiting as there is in our divine destination.
"But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives." Genesis 50: 19&20
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