Wait

“I hear, and my body trembles; my lips quiver at the sound; rottenness enters into my bones; my legs tremble beneath me. Yet I will quietly wait for the day of trouble to come upon people who invade us.” ~ Habakkuk 3:16

I was teaching a men’s class one Wednesday evening on the subject of being quiet with God. In a society that is always on the move, the subject can be a tough one. Most of us have multiple forms of communication. We carry cell phones that not only make phone calls, but also enable us to text, check Facebook or Twitter, write and receive emails, FaceTime, and a host of other ways to be available to people. We have full calendars, busy lives, and little time. Waiting in traffic is frustrating. Waiting in line at the store or post office is unbearable. We find or create ways to “get the job done” without having to wait. It was apparent in the class that these men were not used to waiting. In fact, when asked, “How long can we sit quietly with God and wait for His movement?” it took almost two seconds for someone to blurt out, “That long!” Nope. We are not good at waiting.

Why do we have so much trouble waiting? I think it is because our attentions are divided across too many places. I think that we have too much in our schedules. I think our lives are too full of stuff. We think waiting is a waste of time, an inefficient means of handling our days, or idleness that kills productivity. But most of all, I think that waiting highlights the fact that we are not in control. Waiting calls us to move in someone else’s timing, be guided by someone else’s priorities, and devote our time to someone else’s will. Waiting takes me out of the driver’s seat and makes me a passenger.

The truth is waiting on God makes me set down my agenda, my desire, and my strength. It requires me to invest and trust in what God is doing. Waiting is not simply idleness. Waiting is watching for and responding to the movement of God in the world. Nahum and Habakkuk were prophets who promised the people future salvation. They told God’s people that God was moving, but that what God was doing would take time. They told God’s people to wait.

To follow God is to accept an invitation to wait on Him. It means that He is in charge. He leads. He guides. He directs. We follow. We watch. We move at His will and His word. Waiting means we surrender to the character of God. So…how long can we wait?