For me, one of the hardest things about waiting is feeling like I am not DOING anything. I am a doer by nature. I have To Do Lists for my To Do Lists. And waiting makes me feel like I am doing nothing. Absolutely NOTHING.
But then I look at the Bible and how the Lord took so many of His children away to do what seemed like nothing to prepare them for what He wanted them to do next. The list is long, but just a few that quickly come to mind are Moses, Joseph, Paul, and even Jesus.
And some days the pain of waiting for the promise can be crippling at worst, and just a constant dull hurt at best. That alone is frustrating to me as it seems pointless when God could bring the waiting to an end with the blink of His eye or the nod of His head.
So, as I struggle with my own need to do, and the pain that waiting for something so anticipated causes me, I was much encouraged by my devotional the other morning. Hopefully it will be as encouraging to you.
Streams in the Desert – April 26th Devotional:
“Light is always costly and comes at the expense of that which produces it. An unlit candle does not shine, for burning must come before the light. And we can be of little use to others without a cost to ourselves. Burning suggests suffering and we try to avoid pain.
We tend to feel we are doing the greatest in the world when we are strong and fit for active duty and when our hearts and hands are busy with kind acts of service. Therefore when we are set aside to suffer…when we are consumed with pain, and when all of our activities have been stopped, we feel we are no long of any use and are accomplishing nothing.
Yet if we will be patient and submissive, it is almost certain we will be a greater blessing to the world around us during our time of suffering and pain than we were when we thought we were doing our greatest work. Then we are burning, and shining brightly as a result of the fire.
The glory of tomorrow is rooted in the drudgery of today.”
Patiently Waiting on God 