"Wait" is a Verb

Lately, I have been praying and studying a little extra about leading, and about waiting. Without going into specifics, I want to know which I should do; LEAD... or wait.

The leadership verses I have studies have spoken volumes to me and have given me a breath of clean, fresh air in my understanding of what it means to lead; of what is required of a leader.

Concurrently endeavoring to study the concept of WAITING, I have learned a lot about that as well.  And that is what I would like to share with you today.

I loved English class in high school.  Though I sure do make my share of mistakes in my writing and talking, I'm still a stickler for spelling and parts of speech.  In that vein, then, I would like to point out to you that, grammatically, the word "wait" is a verb. 

In the Bible, "wait" is translated from the word "periménete" in the Greek and from "qavah" in Hebrew.  Regardless of the language in which you read it or use it, "wait" is still always an action word.  "To wait" means to take action, the same as "to run," "to speak," or "to give," etc.

This struck me as particularly interesting.  How does one ACTIVELY wait?  I found a few examples by looking at whole scriptures.  Not just the part of a verse containing the word "wait," but taking the verse as a whole.  Think of a verse of scripture as a big, New Orleans Muffaletta.  The bread is wonderful, but the MEAT of that sandwich is in the middle.  I studied the "meat" of the scriptures I found about waiting.

One way to actively wait is to observe justice and kindness.  Hosea 12:6 reads, "Therefore, return to your God, Observe kindness and justice, and wait for your God continually."  As we wait for God to act in our lives, we don't have to sit idly on our hands.  We can use our waiting time to show kindness to people, and offer justice to those who need it.

Another way to wait actively is to focus on building the strength of your relationship with God.  Psalm 27:14 says, "Wait for the LORD; be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the LORD."  I submit to you that we cannot just BE strong if we have not first built up strength.  

The physical body's strength can be built up with exercise and weight-lifting.  How, then, do we build up our spiritual strength?  By studying God's word.  By praying.  By listening.  Just like physical exercise, the more you do it, the greater are your results.  Also, like with physical exercise, when you reach a point that the number of pounds you've been lifting becomes comfortable and even easy, it's time to take it up a notch.  Increasing the intensity of your physical AND spiritual exercise will help you to continue growing stronger.

In the New Living Translation (NLT) of the Bible, Psalm 37:7 says, "Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act. Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes."  As we strive to actively wait on God, we must make effort not to stress over people who seem to be getting by without waiting on or even considering God.  

Doesn't it sometimes seem like people are cheating that way?  Here you are, doing your best to live life God's way, and there goes Jimmy Joe over there living however he wants and seeming to prosper left and right.  Well, let me tell you one thing.  You have to keep in mind the end result.  As you wait on the Lord, your strength will continually be renewed whereas Jimmy Joe might suffer burnout and despair.  As you spend time with the Spirit of God, your life will be filled with the fruits of love, joy, peace, goodness and patience, just to name a few.  Those who do not seek after God will not live in the benefits of knowing Him. When you wait on and depend on God to guide your life and meet your needs, you will never have to feel dried out, never have to lose hope, and will always know that you will never, never be forgotten or left alone.

There is one final point I would like to make in this blog.  I read this verse and was so astounded, I just had to stop and think about it for a few minutes with a smile on my face the whole time.

Isaiah 30:19 reads, "Therefore the LORD longs to be gracious to you, and therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you For the LORD is a God of justice; How blessed are all those who long for Him."  Let me also give you the NLT version so you can get the whole, big picture like I did:  "So the Lord must wait for you to come to him so he can show you his love and compassion. For the Lord is a faithful God. Blessed are those who wait for his help."

Do you see that?  At the same time we are waiting on God, GOD IS WAITING ON US!" God will never ask us to do for Him something He is not already doing for us.  God is waiting for us to come to Him...

so He can show us His love...

so He can show us His compassion...

and He blesses us when we wait for His help.

We may be waiting on God to speak to us, to answer a prayer, to show us what direction we are to take.  Well, I have good news!  God is delighted with us when we wait for Him.  When we yield to Him instead of rushing ahead and insisting on doing things our own way.  

We wait for God, and He blesses us.  We come to God, and He shows us His love and His compassion.

Let me leave you with Isaiah 40:31, in the New King James version of the Bible, which is my favorite version of this verse:

"But those who wait on the Lord
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint."