I think it was Tom Petty that sang “The waiting is the hardest part.” (Correct me if I’m wrong, Jr.)
Waiting on the Lord, however, was probably not what ol’ Tom was crooning about in that song, but the thought still rings true. Waiting is a common theme in the Bible. I did a quick search, and found the word “wait” used 139 times. Narrow it down by adding “Lord”, and you get 41 times. But just think about it, and you’ll find the idea of waiting on God coming up time and time again.
Adam and Eve waiting for the promised snake stomper. Abraham and Sarah waiting for a child. Jacob waiting for Rachel. Joseph waiting to be remembered in his prison. Israel waiting for the Lord to remember their slavery. And Israel’s waiting for her Messiah (and they’re still waiting, because they did not recognize the hour of their visitation). The list could go on and on, but you get the point.
Waiting on the Lord is a way of life in the Bible. So why should we expect any different?
Well, we don’t like it, for one. We live in the “now” culture. Whatever you want, wherever and whenever you want it. It’s right there. Don’t have the cash? Charge it! Don’t have the time? Download it for later! Shoot! My phone allows me access to virtually anything and everything, all at the touch of a screen! Need an answer to a question, and what do we do? Google it! We are continually wired against waiting, against patience. Face it: Wal-Mart doesn’t want you to wait to shop. No one wants you to be “fiscally responsible” that’s in retail. They want you to want something, and get it right then.
But what happens when life doesn’t cooperate? What happens when the baby just won’t come, according to your five year plan? What happens when the job that you’re miserable in is the only one you have the possibility of having? What happens when the plans you’ve laid just don’t come to life? I ask these, because I’ve lived these. Haven’t we all? And if you’re in the middle of it all, I can say, quite honestly, “wait on the Lord.” Trust me.
The following passage was one that the Lord continually brought up in our lives. Hear the words of Isaiah the prophet:
“Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted;
but they who wait for 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.” Isaiah 40:30-31
What do I gather from this? Try it on your own, try to make things happen on your own, and wear yourself out. Push an agenda that’s not God’s, and get exhausted. Try to bend your surroundings to meet your idea of the future, and get royally frustrated. But wait…yes, WAIT on the Lord, and be renewed! Wait on the Lord, and don’t grow faint kicking against the goads. Wait on the Lord, and RUN the race before you.
Wait, and He’ll bring His plan to pass. Trust Him, not your own wisdom. Wait and see…
And oh yeah, the waiting, once it’s over, is always worth it.
And here’s the other thing: you never stop. Seems it’s the life of the believer. Waiting on the Lord to bring about His promises and purposes in our lives.
So get busy…waiting.
The Wading Pool 
Yes, my friend, waiting is never easy. It is the anticipation that kills you. It is the uncertainty and the inability to plan and prepare. You are right though. Things rushed into without God have a tendency to fall apart. The director of missions I used to work with used to always say to the pastors who came to him for advice, “Do you ever hear of God being in a hurry?” The answer of course was no. God doesn’t get in a hurry. He does things right on time every time. There is a reason for His timing, we just are unaware of everything going on behind the scene.
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You nailed it, little brother. Mr Petty indeed sang that. And a great post, man. If I may quote another rocker, it was the Van Zandt brothers who once sang “You wanna hear God laugh? Tell him YOUR plans.”
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