The Perpetual State of Waiting

I’m in a perpetual state of waiting. I believe many of us are. In fact, I’ve yet to meet someone who isn’t waiting for something. And as Christians, aren’t we all in some form or another, waiting to one day meet Jesus?

We’re all waiting for something. And I’m finding in this time of waiting that the most growth occurs, which seems like it would be the other way around.

Waiting is one of the most difficult places for us to be. We’re impatient by nature. Waiting takes patience. Sometimes whole lot of it, too.

But what’s so amazing is that God waits too. Did you know that? Take a look at Isaiah 30:18:

New International Version
Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you;
he rises to show you compassion.
For the LORD is a God of justice.
Blessed are all who wait for him!

English Standard Version
Therefore the LORD waits to be gracious to you,
and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you.
For the LORD is a God of justice;
blessed are all those who wait for him.

I included the ESV version as well, which runs very close to the King James translation. Here the words long and wait are used interchangeably. They original Hebrew word is chakah, which means to long, wait, or tarry.

I’m going to make another jump here. I don’t profess to be a Bible scholar, but I found this most interesting. The root of chakah is related to the Hebrew word chaqah, which means carved or engraved in relation to piercing.

Now take a look at Isaiah 49:16:

NIV: See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands;
ESV: Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands;

The original Hebrew word for engraved is chaqah, the same word that’s related to chakah, which means to long or wait.

I know this might be a stretch, but is it possible that God had engraved us on our hands because he longs and waits for us? And for our unbelieving loved ones? I don’t know about you, but that just blows me away. To think not only we are engraved upon God’s hands, those he waits for are as well. Make a mental picture of your unbelieving spouses name engraved upon the hand of God.

And if I may make one more leap. I wonder if that engraving resembles the nails holes, which pierced the hands of Christ. Like the relation between chakah and chaqah.

I hope that gives you chills like it did me. But I have one final connection for you through this. The biggest example we have of God waiting and longing.

God sent his Son Jesus to us at just the right time. He didn’t do it as soon as man fell in the Garden of Eden. He didn’t send the Messiah when the Israelites were captives in Egypt.

No, he waited until the exact moment, longing for us every step of the way with our names engraved on his hands.

God waited to send his Son. For you. For me. And for our unbelieving loved ones.

Traveling Again

I'm traveling again around the blogosphere. I hope you'll drop by S.U.M. and Laced with Grace for my latest posts there. Have a wonderfully blessed weekend!

How full is your net? — Is your "life-net" coming up empty. Maybe you've cast it in the wrong direction... The Mind of Christ journey continues at S.U.M. Please feel free to join in!

The Attitudes of Waiting, Part 2 — What's your attitude in those times God asks us to wait? Are you waiting patiently? Waiting expectantly?

Knowing God

From now on if you listen obediently to the commandments that I am commanding you today, love God, your God, and serve him with everything you have within you, he'll take charge of sending the rain at the right time .... Deuteronomy 11:13-14 (MSG)

God is all about timing. He knows the big picture, so of course he knows when to send the rain. God made this promise to the Israelites in regards to their crops, telling them if they obey, he would send what they needed to flourish.

And He asks us to do our part by being obedient and to trust him.

That's not always easy though, is it? We're impatient creatures all to used to getting what we want when we want it. Waiting has almost become a bad word in today's culture. Fast food, fast service, speed dating...our society is all about getting whatever we want as fast as we can.

But God calls us to a different path. Waiting is a big part of his plan. Look at Abraham, Moses, and Joseph. These men did a whole lot of waiting and often in unpleasant conditions. If we have to stand in a line more than five minutes, we feel we've been mistreated.

One of my favorite verses in the Bible is "Be still and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10). Even here he calls us to a waiting position, one in which we can truly appreciate his omniscience. Knowing God is believing he will give us what we need. Knowing God is trusting him to work in whatever situation we're struggling with. Knowing God is believing that no matter what He's completely in control.

Knowing God is to also know that we are loved and cared for more deeply than we can even imagine.