I've been hearing this phrase ever since I can remember. At first, I thought it was a prompt of service. You know, like I was a waitress and God was at a table, asking me to do things for Him. In my mind, I was very literally "waiting" on the LORD. But there is a far holier purpose than what my young mind once believed.
God sees us, inside and out. "Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account" (Hebrews 4:13). He knows our innermost thoughts, the most secret cries of our hearts, and yet He still desires to be near us. In the midst of our imperfections, He longs to provide help, and yet we turn away. Why in the world would the children of God do such a foolish thing?
Impatience. Impatience, among other things, sums up a great deal of our resistance toward God. Since our human minds cannot comprehend His holy timing, we make the mistake of thinking that He just isn't speaking, isn't moving, doesn't care -- that He is silent. But if we were to just wait...
Let's think about that for a second. What is waiting on us if we wait on Him? One popular subject in the Bible is this "ask, seek, knock" idea. And why wouldn't it be popular? Of course we all long for answers, and this verse promises them. But I believe the ideas behind this verse have become a little more than slightly misconstrued.
As a result of our culture, we live for the immediate. When I ask, I want answers. I don't have time to truly search; I need what I'm looking for now. When I knock, I expect someone to answer within a certain time frame or I leave. But here's how the verse reads in the New Living Translation:
"Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you" (Matthew 7:7).
The idea of continuation. Patience. Waiting.
God doesn't always use the immediate. He doesn't need it. How could He be confined by time? He created it. As Donald Miller explains, "This isn't a fast-food restaurant; it's the kingdom of God, and quality disciples take a lot of time. Jesus is patient to the end."
Sometimes, we must grow in order to truly understand what we ask from God, or to possess just a portion of the responsibility necessary to handle it. There are times -- maybe in the future, maybe even now -- that this will be frustrating, because patience is a challenge to us all. But if all else fails, envelope this as your hope: "so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him" (Hebrews 9:28).
It takes a lot of discipline to be a disciple. So right now, find a place to meet with God. Allow your heart to settle. Just sit for a while, listening to Him. Don't be afraid if you don't hear anything. Simply rest in His presence. Let this be your friendly reminder that in the end, all that frustration, all the tearful hoping, all of the time you spent waiting on the LORD was well worth it. Seriously, you're impressed by what God's doing now? Well... just you wait.
May your day bring inexplicable joy. May you bask in the glory of the one true Father and truly understand the idea of surrender. Relish in the truth that you are deeply loved. And go out and do something because of it.
