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Posts Tagged ‘wait on the Lord’


She went up and laid him on the bed of the man of God, then shut the door and went out. 2 Kings 4:22

She was rich, the Bible says. She would give the prophet Elisha a meal whenever he was in town because she knew he was a holy man of God. It was her way to honor him and the Lord. In fact, she made up a small room for Elisha to stay in so he could rest from his travels. But when her son fell ill and died, she didn’t lay the boy on his bed or even her own as was the custom for mourning visitations before burial. She laid him on Elisha’s guest bed and shut the door.

That, to me is an important difference. It shows faith. She didn’t mourn at all. She knew if anyone could revive her son, it was the man who acted for God, and hopefully, by the power of God, he’d heal the boy.

You see, she had been barren and Elisha prophesized God would give her a son in thanksgiving for her hospitality. So when that happened, she knew it as a gift from God. When her son collapsed in her arms and breathed his last, she sought out Elisha. She went to the source. She wanted the prophet, and only the prophet, to come since it was he who had prophesized she’d have the boy. Elisha saw her tenacious faith, went with her, and revived her son while she waited outside of the door.

The story tells me that when something awful happens to me, I need to respond in faith. Set it down, shut the door, and seek Jesus instead of wallowing in my sorrow or fear or hurt. Not try by my own knowledge or strength to handle it, and not to get angry with God. If I respond in faith, Jesus will respond to me.

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God may not do exactly as I ask, as Elsiha did for the tenacious woman, but He will do what is best in my situation. My response is to trust and pray. Shut the door on my problem and seek His face before anything else. He will know how to handle it as I wait patiently.

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My friend wrung the Kleenex between her fingers. “I know God is going bestow His blessings on this situation.” She heaved her shoulders and dabbed her eyes. “But it’s the waiting that’s so hard.”

courtesy duanealley.com Royalty- Free Image by Corbis

courtesy duanealley.com
Royalty- Free Image by Corbis

Oh, how true. Studies show people get antsy after 30 seconds of waiting for the light to change to green, for the microwave to ding, for someone’s voice mail to kick in after four rings. We tap our fingers and roll our eyes if the Search Engine doesn’t pop up the  info in a finger snap. And if there is a line at the check-out, the bank, or anywhere else, we clench our teeth, tap our shoes, or glance at the second hand on our watch every few seconds and sigh, right?

Kids right out of college want the CEO office with the view and the pay check. People want their first home to be their dream home, instead of slowly making it into one filled with memories. We are a drive-thru, get-it-in-an-instant-and-just-add-water society. Chaucer in the 1300’s  said patience was a virtue  and grandmothers have been quoting it ever since. But, he could never understand the fast pace of our world today.

Guess where else we can find great messages about patience?  Yep, the Bible.

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Colossians 3:12

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge ;and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, patience and to patience, godliness;  2 Peter 1:5

Obtaining a lifestyle of patience surely has its health benefits: lower blood pressure, less depression and anxiety, fewer tension headaches and stomach pains, etc.  But it has spiritual benefits as well, doesn’t it?  It does for me. When I am in the “waiting on the Lord” mode, I am calmer, more attentive to hearing His footsteps  stroll through my day, and more tuned into His whispers into my soul. The silence  when I don’t hear Him doesn’t make me antsy when my faith volume is on high. A peace envelops me. I can also think clearer and react more slowly, which trust me, is a good thing. When I acknowledge the Perfect One, who knows all and is all, is behind the wheel instead of me with my limited vision and easily distracted mind, the stress  level plummets.

There is a reason He often has us in a holding pattern. In time, that reason will be revealed in the way we can best absorb it- by hindsight. Until then,  we need to wrap ourselves in the patience robe, pull the sash tight around us and snuggle in.

Patience is a virtue, yes. It is also a holy directive. One I need to practice daily. How about you?

for more about God’s reason why you may be in the waiting room, otherwise known as the in-between times, consider Between the Window and the Door – a Bible & Life Experience  study

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