The Daily Office: Day 57- Patient, Hopeful and Expectant Waiting
Silence for 2-5 minutes:
If your mind wanders, silently pray a simple prayer again and again, such as, "I surrender to your love" or "Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me" until the Holy Spirit gives you a sense of peace and focus.
Scripture:
Psalm 40:1-3
1 I waited patiently for the Lord; And He inclined to me and heard my cry. 2 He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay, And He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm. 3 He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God; Many will see and fear And will trust in the Lord.
Reading:
One of the critical concepts in walking with Christ is that you have to wait for Him to act in your life. The scriptures are filled with godly humans waiting. Abraham waited twenty years for the birth of Isaac. Moses waited 40 years in the desert, working as a shepherd before he was called to lead Israel out of Egyptian bondage. Jesus lived in utter hiddenness as an ordinary human being, until he bursts on the scene at age 30, proclaiming that the kingdom of God was at hand. And the whole earth waited for the Messiah, longing for his appearance for millennia.
It is clear that waiting is a crucial concept, but the question remains, what do we do in that "in-between time" or in other words, "how do we wait." David answers that question in Psalm 40. The Hebrew word kava describes in explicit detail how we are to wait upon the Lord. Kava is translated to wait and to look for hopefully, expectantly with intention.
Patience means we understand that God can take all the time he needs. We don't get to set the timer on God's dealings. God knows how much time it takes, and he takes his time. Like many of the characters in scripture, it may seem that God will never answer, but he always does just in the nick of time. David Wilkerson is quoted as saying that the last thirty minutes of waiting on the Lord are the hardest. I have found that to be true.
David also explains that we wait in hope and expectation. We continuously engage with the Lord in the waiting, reminding him of his promises to us. We wait in faith, knowing that the Lord will answer. We take on the attitude of Job, who said, "Though He slays me, yet I will trust him." We are intentional in our waiting, trusting the one who is utterly trustworthy. Those who wait on the Lord in patience, hope, and expectation will never be disappointed!
Actions:
Write down in a journal things that you are waiting upon the Lord to act upon. Ask the Lord to help you wait in patience, hope and expectation of God's mighty work in your life. Wait upon the Lord with high intention.
Prayer:
O Lord, I often become impatient with you. I have dismissed the waiting time as inconsequential when you work most deeply in these times. Please help me to let the deep work of the Spirit take place as I want patiently, hopefully, and expectantly. Amen.