"Waiting"

 

“Waiting”

 

When I was in seventh grade I attended my first church youth retreat. I remember where it was held (Camp Hope in Carmel, NY) but nothing else about it except the key texts the speaker (whose name has long been forgotten) used throughout the weekend: “He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls.” (Proverbs 25:28, KJV) and “I made haste and delayed not to keep thy commandments.” (Psalm 119:60, KJV, emphasis added). I have no recollection of what was said but these verses, especially the latter, have stuck in my mind ever since.

As I look back over the six decades since I was first confronted with this truth I recall many times I’ve skirted or cherry-picked which commands I kept or set my own timetable for observing (if I even did “obey” them). Sometimes God was merciful but other times I found myself in a mess. It’s taken me far longer than it should have to “get” it (as I’ve said before, I’ve often been a slow learner) but hopefully the message is penetrating, albeit slowly: when God speaks I can’t delay or look for loopholes.

This Scripture tells me I’m not to wait under such circumstances but elsewhere the Word tells me, “Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” (Psalm 27:14, emphasis added). Is there a contradiction? Not in the least—different Hebrew words are used. In Psalm 119:60 the term has the idea of hesitation or reluctance as seen in Genesis 19:16: “…While (Lot) lingered, the men took hold of his hand, his wife’s hand, and the hands of his two daughters…and they…set him outside the city.” (NKJV, emphasis added). Here the psalmist didn’t wait but eagerly obeyed, David’s expression in Psalm 27:14 conveys the thought of confident expectation that God will act, as in “…Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.” (Isaiah 40:31, NKJV, emphasis added). Solomon says, “There is a time for everything….” (Ecclesiastes 3:1) then lists fourteen contrasts to illustrate his point—we also must seek God’s direction as to whether waiting or acting immediately is appropriate in a given situation. The question is: Do I know when I need to take a deep breath before acting or move ahead in faith that God has my back?

I’ve been wrestling with this for over 60 years—I pray I’ll “get it” one of these days.

 

Grace and Blessings!

Jim McMillan