Waiting

Much of my life has seemed to have been spent in waiting.  I'm waiting for my big breakthrough, waiting for a word from the Lord, waiting for an answer to my prayer, waiting to SEE those things for which I've hoped and in which I've believed.  There are, of course, those things which are of less eternal value yet comprise much of our daily lives upon which we wait.  We wait in line at the grocery store, we wait for the bread to rise, we wait for our spouse to come home from work, and we wait for customer service to answer our call.

The Lord is my portion or share, says my living being (my inner self); therefore will I hope in Him and wait expectantly for Him.  The Lord is good to those who wait hopefully and expectantly for Him, to those who seek Him [inquire of and for Him and require Him by right of necessity and on the authority of God's word].  It is good that one should hope in and wait quietly for the salvation (the safety and ease) of the Lord.       Lamentations 3:24-26


But those who wait for the Lord [who expect, look for, and hope in Him] shall change and renew their strength and power; they shall lift their wings and mount up [close to God] as eagles [mount up to the sun]; they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint or become tired.         Isaiah 40:31

Waiting quietly has not been one of my strong points.  I have not been a good waiter, but practice makes perfect!  Truly, I am not perfect!  Yet, my soul is much quieter than it used to be.  Once I resolved that God knows what He's doing in my life and I don't, I became much quieter.  I like to figure things out, make a way where there seems to be no way, come up with solutions and answers to problems.  It's good to be a problem solver, but what if there's no problem to solve?  What if what we are going through is God's will for our lives: His instruction, His discipline, His training and His teaching?  Our need to solve problems can be a real problem in these instances.  We can become consumed with grief, with discontentment, with discouragement, with judgement, and with questions.  When our problem solving skills seem to fall short, and there appears to be no answer or relief from our distresses, we begin to pull away from the Lord.  Our focus becomes fuzzy and distorted.  We lose sight of His plans and His purposes.

About a month and a half ago, our daughter and I read "Waiting" from the book Parables From Nature by Mrs. Alfred Gatty as one of her readings in school.  (She is in 1st grade doing Year 1 of Ambleside Online.)  As I read this story to her, the Spirit spoke strongly to my heart and strengthened my soul.  I would like to share a portion of this story with you.  No matter where you are, I pray that it touches you deeply.

     Oh, this yearning after some other better state that lies unrevealed in the indefinite future - how restless and disheartening a sensation!  Oh, this painful contrast of perfection in all created things around, to the lonely meditator on so much happiness, who is the solitary exception to the rule - how trying the position!  How cruel, how almost overwhelming the struggle between the iron chain of reality and the soaring wing of aspiration!
     But, "What is the use, my poor good friends," expostulated a plodding old Mole one day, after coming out to see how the upper world went on, and hearing the Cricket's complaints - "what is the use of all this groaning and conjecturing?  You admit that every other creature but yourself is perfect in its way, and quite happy.  Well, then, I will tell you that you ought to be quite sure you are perfect in your way too, though you have not found it out yet; and that you will be happy one day or other, although it may not be the case just now.  Do you suppose this fine scheme of things we live in is to be soiled with one speck of dirt, as it were for the sake of teasing such a little insignificant creature as yourself!  Don't think it for a moment, for it is not at all likely!  But you must not suppose that everything goes right at first even with the best of us.  I have had some small experience, and I know.  But everything fits in at last.  Of that I am quite sure.  For instance, now, I do not suppose it ever occurred to you to think what a trial it must be to a young Mole when he first begins to burrow in the earth.  Do you imagine that he knows what he is doing it for, or what will be the result?  No such thing.  It is a complete working in the dark, not knowing in the least where he is going.  Dear me! if one had once stopped to conjecture and puzzle, what a hardship it would have seemed to drive one's nose by the hour together into unknown ground, for some unexplained reason that did not come out for some time afterwards, and that one had no certainty would ever come out at all!  But everything fits in at last.  And so it did with us.  I remember it quite well in my own case.  We drove the earth away and outwards, till the space so cleared proved an absolute palace!  By the bye, I must try and get you down into our splendid abode - it will cheer you up, and teach you a useful lesson.  Well, so you see we found out at last what all the grubbing had been for -"
     Ah! but,"  interrupted the Cricket, "you were labouring for some purpose all the time, and if I had to labour I could hope.  The difficulty is, to sit moping with nothing to do but wait."
     "It is nonsense to talk of nothing to do,"  answered the Mole; "every creature has something to do.  You, for instance, have always to watch for the sun.  You know you like the beams and warmth he sends out better than anything else in the world, so you should get into the way of them as much as you can.  And after the sun has set, you must hunt up the snuggest holes you can find, and so make the best of things as they are;  and for the rest, you must wait.  And waiting answers sometimes as well as working, I can assure you.  There was the young Ox in the plains near here.  As soon as he could run about at all, he began driving his clumsy head against everything he met.  No one could tell why; but he fidgeted and butted about all day long, and many of his friends and acquaintances were very much offended by his manners.  Others laughed.  The dogs, indeed, were particularly amused, and used to bark at him constantly - even close to his nose sometimes, as he lowered his head after them.  Well, at last, out came the secret.  Two fine horns grew out from our friend's head, and people soon understood the meaning of all the butting; and one of the saucy cuts who was playing the old barking game with him one day got finely tossed for his pains.  Everything fits in at last, my friends!  No cravings are given in vain.  There is always something in store to account for them, you may be quite sure.  You may have to wait a bit - some of you a shorter, some a longer time; but do wait - and everything will fit in and be perfect at last."