While we wait, again.
When Pharaoh heard of it, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from Pharaoh and stayed in the land of Midian. And he sat down by a well. Exodus 2:15 ESV
Do you know anyone who enjoys waiting? I heard of someone who even sent an invoice to a doctor for keeping them waiting long after the scheduled appointment time. We dislike being made to wait, whether it is online to a call-centre, in a queue, or in a doctor’s waiting room (yes they actually call it a waiting room).
In Scripture though, we find that God can use waiting to shape and restore us, to make us more like Jesus. Jesus waited - he waited 30 years before starting His public ministry. Moses, Elijah, Jeremiah, David, and many others have had their waiting periods preserved in Scripture for us to learn from and be encouraged by.
The lock-down is the monster of all waiting rooms for many of us. We can choose whether to idle the time away in a negative frame of mind, like paging through meaningless magazines in a doctor’s rooms, or to grab hold of the opportunity and use it for everything it’s worth. Moses is a great inspiration for us who have to wait. He spent his first 40 years as a prince in a palace, then he lost everything and found himself at a desert oasis with no friends, family or possessions. It was another 40 years before God called him at the burning bush, and used in in the most powerful and historic way. The waiting Moses did wasn’t wasted, in fact he spent those 40 years getting to know how to keep sheep alive in the very same dessert that he led Israel through for the same amount of time.
While we’re waiting and are tempted into anxiety or mindless zoning out on social media or other online distractions, let’s reach for Scripture and ask Jesus to show us how God’s people handled waiting, how they grew from it, and how we can do the same.
Prayer
Dear Father God, God of ages, eternal unchanging King of All Creation. We praise You and Thank You because You are the Only Living God, Faithful and True, Merciful and Gracious. Please help us to wait faithfully for You Lord, there is none like You. Please give us strength when we can’t stand, peace when we lie down, and joy in every moment of our days as we love and serve You in Jesus Name. Amen.
Worship
If faith can move the mountains Let the mountains move
We come with expectation Waiting here for you,
I’m waiting here for you You’re the Lord of all creation
And still you know my heart The Author of Salvation
You’ve loved us from the start Waiting here for You
With our hands lifted high in praise And it's You we adore
Singing Alleluia You are everything You’ve promised
Your faithfulness is true And we're desperate for Your presence
All we need is You Waiting here for You
With our hands lifted high in praise
And it's You we adore Singing Alleluia
Serving
It’s not just a happy co-incidence that waiters are called waiters. Good waiters stand a little distance off and watch, they don’t intrude but they respond the instant someone needs them. We need to be these kinds of Spiritual waiters. Ask our Lord Jesus to send the Holy Spirit to open our eyes and show us who needs our help, attention and care and then keep us attentive to their needs so that we can show them God’s unchanging love.