Waiting by the Brook: Learning to Wait Patiently on Godናሙና

Resignation or Expectation?

Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. Philippians 4:11, KJV

While we wait on God, we must resist the temptation to give up on our hopes for what He has promised us. As Elijah sits by the Brook Cherith waiting on God, there is a temptation for the prophet to become content with this “just enough” existence—to be satisfied with bread and water from the ravens, and later on, for him to be satisfied with a little flour and oil from the widow of Zarephath. Elijah faces the hidden danger of being content with a mere earthly existence when God has plans to take him up in a chariot of fire!

Sadly, many choose to make the brook a permanent resting spot. That was the case for Abraham’s father, Terah. We read in Genesis 11 that Terah took his family and set out from Ur of the Chaldeans for the promised land of Canaan. However, when he got to the village of Haran, he set up camp there. This is where he died. Yet God’s plan for His children was that they would inherit the promise land. After Terah’s death, Abraham took up the charge again to get to Canaan.

The waiting spot is not meant to be a permanent resting place; it is a place of transition. However, navigating the delicate balance between acceptance of where we are positioned in our Christian journey and hope for the future can be a bit tricky. In this space, we are called to balance the contradicting emotions of contentment and discontentment. During our wait. we must simultaneously rest contentedly in God’s benevolent provisions for the present while being discontent with our current positioning for mission and calling. It is in this space of righteous discontentment that we are best able to claim the promise God has for our life.

Let us not be lured into a passive acceptance of our current circumstances. God has bigger plans for us—plans that are about abundance and fulfilling His will for us. While we wait on Him, we must adapt and live in the space of great expectations. A brook experience can mark the burial ground of hopes for God’s calling on our lives to be fulfilled, or it can become the best lookout spot for us to view the road ahead. What will you choose?

Reflect: What are some things that you can continue to be thankful for as you wait in expectation for answers to your prayers? Think about your hopes for the future and thank God in advance for what He will do in your life.