Someone has said that "patience is a virtue." If it is, then I'm not very virtuous. I hate waiting. In fact, I often find myself looking for the "next thing" that God wants me to do. Perhaps some of that comes with the territory of being a leader. "Where next?" is a question that I am always asking both God and myself.
That's what I find a little frustrating about what the Lord has been telling me lately. It's been one word: "Wait." It would be easier if it were "Stop" because that would be doing something. By "wait" God is telling me to simply tread water for a while before swimming across the lake.
Part of what God is teaching me is the importance of being willing to obey whatever he tells me to do, rather than seeking to be "a leader" that always knows where he is going and what is happening next. It's an important lesson. Disaster awaits those that fail to learn it.
Consider the events of Exodus 32. The people had made a tremendous commitment to God and announced their willingness to obey everything that God had told them to do. Moses then went up on mountain for a lengthy time with God. As time past, the people became antsy and demanded that their second-in-command, Aaron, do something because Moses had been gone a long time. Aaron hadn't learned the lesson of waiting. Instead of reassuring the people that the will of God was for them to simply go about their lives and wait patiently for the return of Moses, he led the people into idolatry.
Consider the events of 1 Samuel 13. Saul, the newly anointed king was to wait for Samuel to offer a sacrifice before leading the people into battle. Circumstances appeared to demand that Saul do something. His army was beginning to scatter. The enemy was strengthening. Their situation seemed to be critical. Saul hadn't learned the lesson of waiting, so he offered he offered the sacrifice himself rather than waiting patiently for Samuel. As a result, God took the kingdom away from Saul.
On the positive side, consider Acts1:4. The Lord told his disciples (who were men of action with a call to the nations) to wait in Jerusalem. The result? They received the mighty baptism of the Holy Spirit and power to turn the world upside down. You and I are still beneficiaries of their obedience in waiting.
May we also learn the value of obedience in all things...even in waiting.
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