“If you wait, you will waste.”
“Make hay while the sun shines.”
“Strike while the iron is still hot.”
All the above are underlined by one common factor – TIME. If you take a second look at the quotes, you might conclude they have the same meaning: Do what you have to do now. Wait for nothing or no one. Tomorrow might be too late.
Is everything/anything wrong with waiting? Certainly, not everything.
In regards to the topic of waiting and wasting, I learnt something sometime ago – not every waiting leads to wasting. Not every pause leads to a bad stop. Not every slowdown leads to a breakdown. Sometimes, in waiting, there’s a fearful blessing.
I’ll share 3 scriptures to buttress my thoughts.
“Now a certain man was sick, named Lazarus, of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha.Therefore his sisters sent unto him (Jesus), saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick. When he had heard therefore that he was sick, he abode two days still in the same place where he was.” (John 11:1,3,5 KJV)
“But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:31 KJV)
“…he that believeth shall not make haste.” (Isaiah 28:16 KJV)
Lazarus was sick. Jesus Christ was asked to come and heal him. Still, He waited until Lazarus died. Four days after his death, in Lazarus’s life, God was massively glorified. We must take note of the fact that Jesus wasn’t responsible for Lazarus’s illness. Apparently, the devil was. Jesus had the cure – the power to heal the sick and raise the dead. He had the power to heal Lazarus instantly. Still, He didn’t. He took the less trod route. He waited.
A lot of us mistake the period of waiting for stagnation, or worse still, retrogression. Truth be told- some seasons of waiting are best regarded as seasons of INCUBATION – a time where the product is being cooked in order to wow the world and Glorify God. In this context, waiting isn’t about loafing around and expecting God to carry out your personal responsibilities. Absolutely not. It’s about resting in God, riding on the wings of the Spirit and not being easily moved by mere feelings. Jesus loved Lazarus. He was never happy to see Lazarus die or even fall ill. Still, he didn’t respond immediately to the urgency. He operated on the frequency of the Holy Spirit.
When we wait on God (not on situations or persons), He revitalizes us. He renews our strength. He makes us fit enough to pursue and accomplish our preordained assignments on the earth. We wait on God because we recognize we are limited in capacity and knowledge. Only God can truly help us. Real life situations have stopped many from completing life’s race. Some lives have been aborted. Others took a detour from God’s predestined plans for them. But in perfect contrast, waiting on God makes us immovable, unshakable, unstoppable. It guarantees our sure future.
As Christians, in every sense of the word, we choose not go as the world goes. We absolutely depend on God’s leading.
“For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.” (Romans 8:14 NIV)
Just like our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ wasn’t in haste to go to Lazarus house, we must not be in haste to make decisions. Understand me before you judge me to be a fanatic. Do not let external forces or pressure determine your actions or reactions. People or things need not force an action or reaction from you. Let your influence be the One who resides in you – The Spirit of the living God. The One who believes in God according to Isaiah 28:16, never makes haste.
My dear Christian Folk, there are times to wait, and there are times to move. Our ability to know when to switch from one to the other without wasting and regretting is highly dependent on our relationship with our Maker. Take my word for it – No one waits on God and bites their finger in regret at the end. No one.
I earnestly pray you have no cause to run ahead of God this year 2020 and beyond in Jesus’s Name. Amen.
With love and passion,
Ashley
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