What to Do While Waiting

I've got a number of things I'm waiting for.  I've been waiting for some of these for years, but I haven't given up.  It occurs to me that there are different ways of waiting and I have a choice as to how I go about it.
  1. I just sit and wait.  I don't do anything until the person, event, or "thing" appears.  This means that I'm essentially dead in the water, not accomplishing anything and daily growing more impatient, angry or discouraged.
  2. Watch and pray.  Really prayer can and should be a part of whatever waiting scheme you choose.  Watching and praying means that daily I'm anticipating the appearance of what I'm waiting for and I'm actively looking for it.  I live on the cusp of expectation.  Just around the next corner, at the chiming of the next hour, before the end of the day the answer is going to be there.  This is kind of like living on tip-toe.
  3. Incorporating several means.  This is the Matt.7:7-8 model.  I don't just ask, I also seek and knock.  This is somewhat like the "Watch and Pray" model, but is more active.  I run around looking for the appearance of the object of my waiting.  I not only ask God, I ask people as well.  This can get to be a bit frantic, and eventually tiresome.
Truth be told, I find myself vacillating between these forms of waiting.  I tire of the same one over a period of time and need to move on to another.  The one I really fear is the "sit and wait" approach which means that I'm not accomplishing anything in the meantime.  Maybe I'll try the method of the "persistent widow" in Luke 18.  I'll become such a worry-wart that God and everyone else will see that I get what I want just to get me off their back.
So what is your favorite, most effective way of waiting?

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Waiting for Christmas sermon, Waiting for Christmas sermon by Brian Bill, Luke, Luke - SermonCentral.com

Waiting for Christmas sermon, Waiting for Christmas sermon by Brian Bill, Luke, Luke - SermonCentral.com : If you are like me, you are always open to hearing new sermon ideas for Christmas.  I found one that I encourage you to examine.  Just follow the link above and find a fresh message for Christmas. My prayer for all my readers is that you will encounter Christ in a fresh way this Christmas and be drawn closer to Him as God continues His work of conforming you to the likeness of Christ.
Read more

Man's Way vs God's Way

As I watch on C-span the Glen Beck rally in Washington D.C. I'm struck with the contradiction between man's approach to change and the plan that God gave us in the Bible to bring about lasting change. While man opts for "events" such as this rally, God's emphasis is on the individual; each one reaching and discipling one (Matt. 28:18-20) The result of disciple-making is that each disciple is then empowered to make disciples, and a movement is set in motion, not just an event. Jesus set the example for us in that He spent the majority of His time discipling and equipping a small group of men. Although He did, on occasion, speak to multitudes, the bulk of His time was invested in His disciples. If the money and man power that went into this rally were expended through disciple-making churches to train, equip and send out disciples of Jesus through our nation, lasting change would result. Once this rally is over, it is over. However, a disciple-making movement ...
Read more

The Purpose of the Church

I t seems to me from scripture that the primary purpose of the church is to represent Christ to the world.  The unfortunate reality is that many, if not most, church members think that the church exists to cater to them.  They expect the church to entertain, comfort, inspire and pamper them simply because they are "members".  If the opening statement of this blog is true, how does that play out in reality?  Here are some random thoughts. The church should serve as a "service station" to members equipping them for ministry to and in the world in which they live. The church should demonstrate to the world how to live in community with one another. The church should do for those outside the church what Christ did for the multitudes when He was here on earth. The church should provide nurture and care for new believers, helping them discover and develop their gifts that enable them to function as Christ's ambassadors to the world. The church should be a platform for...
Read more