Resting in the Waiting

“Wait for it. “, “Be patient.”, “This might take a little while.” have never been popular phrases for most people. Unfortunately, this McDonald’s and Starbuck’s age of time really has a problem with waiting. It’s never been an enduring favorite pastime except when we were younger trying to stay out past our curfew.

We won’t even get into the “Have it your way” mentality of Burger King. I understand how these chains became popular. We all like to feel special, out of the ordinary, and catered to while getting our fast food fix, but there is a danger in this mentality while waiting for the promises of God to come to fruition in our lives.

This might be reminiscent of a prior blog I did talking about the stand. There are a lot of similarities between waiting and standing from a spiritual point of view, as long as they are done in the attitude of faith. The kind of standing/waiting that’s done in faith is not a let’s take a break and sit in the back seat thing for a while. It’s an attitude of hope and confidence in the darkness while waiting for the light to shine in your world again.

It’s taking a step ahead and moving in boldness and obedience to God’s word when things that surround you scream, “Let’s be realistic”, or “Do you really think that’s possible?” Have scriptures before your eyes to bolster your faith like the one that speaks of Jesus healing a boy that would foam at the mouth and throw himself in a fire sporadically.

This was right after the Transfiguration when Jesus came down from what is traditionally believed to be Mount Tabor. The disciples, teachers of the law, and a large crowd gathered around while a boy’s father brought before Jesus his son saying, ” Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid.” Mark 9: 17-18a NIV

When the boy was brought to Jesus, the evil spirit immediately threw the boy into a convulsion and began the usual falling to the ground, rolling around, foaming at the mouth, and possibly other antics to get the crowd’s attention while Jesus asked the father how long this had been going on.

The father then tells Jesus that the boy has had this from childhood. This leads me to believe the boy is perhaps a teenager or young adult. I don’t know if you do this while reading scripture, but I like to insert myself right there in the middle of it so that I can almost hear the father then tell Jesus that if He can do anything, to take pity on them and help them, “If you can?” said Jesus, “Everything is possible for one who believes.” Mark 9:23 NIV So yes, I hear the authority of Jesus’ voice and the surety come through loud and clear. I hope you do as well!

You may be wondering why I’ve used this passage of scripture to illustrate something about waiting. I believe this had been going on for a great length of time and I don’t think there is one of us that would think even only a week of this behavior would be a cakewalk.

I can relate to the helpless and frightful feelings this father had while watching his son being attacked by this evil spirit. The feelings of desperation that brought this man to a town at the foothills of a mountain where he heard of the Messiah’s coming rings through my spirit, but I think it’s the hope and belief that Jesus could do something to help that I feel the most.

So now I ask you, what things are foaming at the mouth in your life? What voices are screaming, “That’s not possible?” Can I be the one to remind you what kind of savior we serve? He is Wonderful! He is Almighty! Counselor! VICTOR!

Now get to that bible and find some scriptures you can STAND on, and after having done everything………….still, STAND! You’ve got this. Think about the one who’s already won the battle for you!