We call my wife Sharon the Queen for obvious reasons. After all, her beautiful blonde hair forms a natural radiant crown, and her bright and engaging eyes will light up any room.

Lately though, I'm sad to say that she has adopted a very bad habit. It seems she now likes what she calls, “door to door service.” In manly terms it means that when we go shopping I drive her to the front door of the store and drop her off, then sit and wait for her in the car until she is ready for me to pick her up at the front door again. Actually, I don’t mind. Waiting gives me plenty of time to think, pray, listen to Fox News, or whatever. In fact, I have been known to take a brief catnap while waiting on the Queen!

The point is this: much can be accomplished while waiting. In fact, I would like to suggest that much of our spiritual life is marked by waiting. Whether we will have the mature contentedness that marked many biblical characters or not can be determined by what we do with our “waiting” time. Sharon and I have been waiting for a number of months for God’s direction in our lives. Many of those days have been filled with joy and anticipation; but the truth is, many have not. We have seen the goodness and faithfulness of God displayed in a hundred ways. Many other days are filled with emotional “why’s” and other questions which have no human answer. Truthfully, on some days our emotions have driven us to the brink of despair. During more than a few nights I have been startled awake by the stark reality of the situation we face.

Far from wasted and empty moments, though, we are learning that “waiting” is a term of action. The Hebrew term for “wait” means to trust, to hope, to anticipate. Could it be that God has built “waiting” into our busy schedules in order to slow us down and get our attention? Fruitful productivity is spoken of in Isaiah 40:31 as a byproduct of waiting: “Yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary.”

By waiting, trusting, and hoping with anticipation, we exchange (renew) our weakness for His strength. Hoping with anticipation as we wait, our weak and fickle faith is exchanged for a powerful dynamic faith that is identified with God’s all-sufficient grace.

So. . .the Queen and I have determined that right now our assignment is to wait. In all honesty, we don't like it. Not every assignment from our Lord is pleasant, but each day is spent in anticipation that we will deepen our knowledge and intimacy with Christ, we will actively seek His provision for our needs, we will look for ways to serve others, and look forward to the great ministry God has in His future for us.

God always has a purpose, even in our waiting. Our humanity forces us to struggle for answers on a daily basis. Our emotions often overwhelm us with haunting questions with no answers. We are learning that emotions play tricks with us; they are subject to many things. Yet in all this we are learning to trust and relax in the simple truth that God is good, and nothing can happen to us unless it is first sifted through His nail-pierced hands.

So, I will continue to wait on the Queen when she asks. Her Majesty is more than worthy of my patience and devotion. More importantly, I will remember that faith in God includes faith in His timing. I will submit my waiting to the King of my life, and His promise of a great future for the Queen and I.

“And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28/NASB)

The Nature of Trials

1. I guess its the nature of trials: they are difficult. They are not easy. Trials are tests from God designed to measure our spiritual depth and resolve. It seems unrealistic, then, that James would instruct us, "Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for joy." What? Are you crazy?
   
   We can only do so when we understand that everything that happens to us comes through the hand of a loving, faithful, all powerful God who has everything under control. Have you ever heard of God saying, "oops"?  That is what the "all things" of Romans 8:28 is all about. This morning I came across a text in Isaiah 64:4 that truly blessed me: "For since the world began, no ear has heard and no eye has seen a God like you, who works for those who wait for him!" (NLT)
   
   Once again I am reminded that our only hope during the tests that come our way lies in the character of God. And that is a pretty good guarantee that all will be well!