Waiting

If you are anything like me, waiting rooms  can be very trying.  When I know that I will have to wait for someone or an appointment I always take something with me to utilize this time.  I am so aware of wasting time that in those waiting room environments, I want to be reading or accomplishing some task that has yet to be completed.  This is not to be confused with those times when the Lord tells me to be still and know that He is my God.  However waiting rooms are usually not the type of environment that is conducive to being still and quiet with the Lord.  So I plan accordingly, bringing my Bible, another book or some task with me for those "waiting times".  There is another kind of waiting though that is often described in the Word.  Have you noticed?

Joel 3:14  Thousands upon thousands are waiting in the valley of decision. It is there that the day of the LORD will soon arrive.  Can you picture this scene?  Imagine the people of the earth gathered together waiting upon the Lord.  This is not the valley of their decisions; this is the valley of the Lord's decision on them.   Their time of decision has passed and now they are waiting.... just waiting.  Imagine what will go through the minds and hearts of individuals gathered, knowing that the next event will be the arrival of the day of the Lord.  The time for action has passed.  The time of personal decision has passed.  Now we wait.  When this time is over, the outcome of our personal decisions will have manifested and we will live with those consequences for eternity.

Zephaniah 3:8 "Therefore wait for Me," says the Lord, "Until the day I rise up for plunder; My determination is to gather the nations To My assembly of kingdoms, To pour on them My indignation, All my fierce anger; All the earth shall be devoured With the fire of My jealousy.  Wait patiently for the day is coming when the Lord is going to gather all peoples to face the consequences of their choices.  Clearly here in Zephaniah we see that judgment will be poured out.  When I read this however, I do not hear the Lord tell us to be passive and just sit back and wait for Him.  I hear Him telling us to not exact revenge ourselves on the evil of the world and take matters into our own hands.  Instead be patient because He is coming and has plans to handle it all.  So, are we waiting for God to pour out His judgment on the evil in the world or are we in fact looking in a different direction and waiting for something separate - different - for us knowing that He is going to handle the darkness?

Romans 8:23-25 And even we Christians, although we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, also groan to be released from pain and suffering. We, too, wait anxiously for that day when God will give us our full rights as his children, including the new bodies he has promised us. Now that we are saved, we eagerly look forward to this freedom. For if you already have something, you don't need to hope for it.  But if we look forward to something we don't have yet, we must wait patiently and confidently.  Our focus for the wait is something positive and beautiful.  However in order to receive this gift that awaits us, we are required to not only make a decision to receive it, but we must work through this process enduring to the end.  James 1:12  God blesses the people who patiently endure testing. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.  The crown of life comes at the end of our time here on earth.  We must endure the trials and tribulations that are part of living in this world.  Our eyes are fixed on the goal, the prize that awaits us in eternity with our Lord.  We wait for that glorious day, but clearly it requires a mindset that enables us to function differently than the rest of the world.

Philippians 2:12-13 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.  Paul is instructing us to daily live lives that reflect our life changing decision to accept Jesus' work on the cross for us.  God Himself gives us both the desire and the strength to accomplish good in His name.   Notice that the "will" to please Him precedes our actual deeds that please Him.  The change that occurs in our hearts and minds as a result of our decision is the motivation for our actions.  As we continue to study the Word, it is undeniable that our lives must actively demonstrate our salvation.  If they do not then the outcomes for us in that "valley of decision" will be vastly different than they could have been.  

Are we surrounded by individuals who call themselves believers but whose lives show a very different kind of fruit?  Absolutely.  Is it our responsibility to judge them?  What do you think?  The Word tells us to judge fruit but not motivation.  We cannot know what is in someone's heart, but we can see what kind of fruit their lives are producing.  Likewise, fellow believers are called to judge our fruit.  What kind of fruit is your life producing while you are waiting with hope for the arrival of the Lord?  Here is another question for you: what would you like the Lord to find you doing when He arrives for the day of the Lord?  There are a lot of things that I would rather not be doing when He arrives, and similarly there are many things that would make me much happier to be doing when that trumpet sounds.  Are we not called to be watching and waiting?  Does our daily lifestyle reflect that we are watching and waiting?

Luke 12:35-38  "Be dressed for service and well prepared, as though you were waiting for your master to return from the wedding feast. Then you will be ready to open the door and let him in the moment he arrives and knocks. There will be special favor for those who are ready and waiting for his return. I tell you, he himself will seat them, put on an apron, and serve them as they sit and eat! He may come in the middle of the night or just before dawn. But whenever he comes, there will be special favor for his servants who are ready!  Ready and waiting...  do our lives reflect this?  Is this something that we occasionally consider as we go through daily life, or is it something that is so prominent in our thinking that we consider each action we take, each word that we speak as preparation for His return?  I know that personally I have work to do in this area.  I feel strongly that there are things that I do today that are unrelated to His return and I am beginning to truly question how I spend my time.  Is He my focus or the world?  What and who is motivating me into action?  Are there adjustments I can make in this regard?  Without a doubt.  I want my lamp filled with oil and my wedding garments clean and donned, ready for the arrival of my bridegroom.  It takes work - a daily effort - to keep my oil fresh (Holy Spirit) and my garments clean (repentance),but it is so worth it for the final reward!