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Aug 12, 2022 08:00am

How Well Do We Dwell in the Waiting?

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“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall remain stable and fixed under the shadow of the Almighty.”

Waiting Rooms. I’ve found myself in a few lately. These places are no less than interesting incubators of thoughts to observe. Scanning these dreary rooms and their masked inhabitants, one could easily come to the conclusion that few are fluent in silence and their pain is common and easily shared.

Question is pain bad? Observation . . . depends. Does pain (in any of its forms) cause us to turn to Him? Could pain be an instrument from the heavenlies that causes us to pause and reflect on the construction of our own kingdoms, or whistle a timeout from our predetermined busyness? Perhaps. Truth be told, few of us would schedule a visit “to wait” if it wasn’t essential. Yet the Bible is filled with golden “waiting” lessons. Ask Moses. Ask Esther. Ask Joseph.

Truth: Believers possess confidence, guidance, and inheritance through our adopted position in Christ. Yet when it’s our turn to dwell, we often miss the value! Ask the adoptive couple if the wait was worth it. Inquire of the parents if deployment of their children was easy. Engage with the life-sentenced inmate about his days ahead and we get a glimpse into the universal truth that from a heavenly perspective, waiting and dwelling isn’t a kindergarten skill easily mastered but a life lesson to keep circling back to refine. It matters how well we dwell since we might be tempted to do a lot of plotting if we lose sight of God’s faithfulness. Guilty.

Going against God’s purposeful season of waiting can be marked by reverting to past immature behavior with compromising principles. Why? Because waiting can feel a lot like losing. When we prefer instant gratification over the fruit that waiting can produce in us is akin to a shortcut off a cliff. (Hello, Adam and Eve.) We get there quicker . . . but damaged.

As committed Christians, we can wait if we have to, but our moods, tongues, and actions often do not testify to our faithfulness in resting in God’s plan and protection. (*Note to self – when the weight of the wait seems unbearable, trust God’s in-between purposes.) In the 2021 newly released book, The Hard Good, a graphic design suggests that:

Circumstances + Negative Assumptions = Faulty Conclusions. (Read it again!)

Instead, choose to see the waiting on Him as purposeful exercises of dwelling in His peace and presence, strengthening our character, and revealing our heart, all essential for kingdom influence.

Every moment, someone leaves this world behind. We are all “in line” and headed toward an earthly off ramp to an eternal destination. In our waiting, let’s show up well. As Romans 8 so compassionately lays out, our adoption by the Spirit’s indwelling is divinely purposeful, exercising patience, training submission, stretching our faith, and endearing the blessings to come.

Waiting well can be our love response that provides evidence of where our true source lies: In God.