We are always in search of the next big thing.
As soon as we get whatever it is we have been looking for, it is our natural instinct to immediately start to look for what is next. This happens in the the little day to day things, and in the big life changing things.
Whether you are waiting for the weekend or for a big move across the country, life can often start to feel like one big waiting game. All of a sudden you find yourself lost in things of the future.
I saw this happen in my own life just a few months ago. Here I am on this amazing trip around the world and all I could think about was what next year will hold.
It all began in Mozambique where night after night I would lie awake in my hammock playing the “what if” game with my future. This made it near impossible to focus on being fully present that month.
It was clear something had to change, or I would end up loosing whole parts of my race to the unknown of the future. The next month in Latvia I waged war. I had to give up control, hand my desires over to God, and trust in His faithfulness. Some deep roots were pulled that month as God completely transformed my idea of what it means to wait. Here are some of the things I learned:
1. Wait does not mean stay still
The dictionary defines waiting as this: to stay where one is or delay action until a particular time or until something else happens.
Before this year my definition would have sounded much the same. But I have since learned that God’s definition is entirely different. My first clue came from the wise words of David:
Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. Psalm 27:13-14
First of all, this makes it pretty clear that we are only to wait on the Lord. I can tell you in those moments in Mozambique I was not waiting on what the Lord wanted, but instead on what I wanted.
But then David goes on to say be strong and take heart. This throws the action of waiting into an entirely new light. There is no need to be strong if you are staying in one place, but waiting on the Lord does not mean be stagnant.
2. Something entirely different
The Hebrew word for wait is qavah, which literally means to bind together like a cord. This ultimately makes the cord stronger, but in the mean time it means a lot of twisting and stretching.
Waiting is a season of growth thus it is going to be uncomfortable and difficult at times. Fortunately we do not have to rely on our own strength. Seasons of waiting are some of the best times for God to work in our hearts.
but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:31 ESV
3. To wait is to trust
Imagine your life as one tall skyscraper. You may see the next floor, but not all the steps of how you are going to get there. But what if there are no steps at all? It could be an elevator, ladder, or something else. We cannot know God’s plans for what is next, but He promises they will be good.
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11
We must be willing to trust that God’s plans are far better then our own. For it is only in the surrender of our lives, that we are truly free.
My favorite phrase lately is “I don’t know” as it seems to apply to so much of my life. I do not know what is next or what God is doing, but instead I try to focus on trusting in His goodness and promises. I know He has a plan for me and that it will be far worth the wait. In the meantime I must fully step into this season by opening my heart to all God is showing me.
Trust in the Lord and do good;
dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him and he will do this:
He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn,
your vindication like the noonday sun.
Be still before the Lord
and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when people succeed in their ways,
when they carry out their wicked schemes.
Psalm 37:3-7
