WAIT for it... wait for it...

Oct 24^th  (404 words)

Welcome to that time of the year – after the leaves have fallen, the bright colors are replaced with a dirty brown… and before the snow falls – and stays on the ground.  The little bit of snow this morning was a reminder of things to come – and we need to wait patiently for the happiness of winter fun. 

What does it mean to wait on God?

Is it a passive sitting – and doing nothing – waiting for God to do it all?

Is it a meaningless phrase that you say but basically continue to live your life as if you were not waiting on God?

The two questions are only rhetorical of course.  I want to raise the question for myself – how do I wait on God?  Is this more of a heart question than what I do or don’t do?

In Psalm 37 trust is a key reality.  Living in trust is literally over against fretting.  We trust in God instead of working our own salvation.  We are passive as we let God vindicate us against our enemies.  We are not trying to work out our own vengeance.  In this context comes the idea of waiting on God.  He will take care of justice.  The unjust and ungodly will go down in flames while the righteous, children of God will enter their inheritance.  For us our inheritance is eternal – everlasting – an infinity of hours and days and weeks and months and years.  Our inheritance - in Christ - is infinite.

As I type this my eyes widen in a glimpse of amazement – I needed that reminder.

What does it mean for me, here and now, to wait on God? 

There is a heart component of not fretting.  Not being take up with worry.  Not coveting what others have and enjoy. 

But…

The Psalm also involves a walking in and with the Lord.  As we walk with him we can be waiting for him!  We aren’t running ahead.  We aren’t lagging behind.  We aren’t sitting obstinately or with laziness. 

Our walk is a sign of our trust.  Our walk is a waiting in God.  In walking with God it isn’t our responsibility to attack the wolves lurking – we’re with our shepherd.  He is a good shepherd!

Our waiting is passive obedience – faithfully doing what we know to do and not doing what we know we shouldn’t.

Seems simple – let’s work it out in reality.