DAY 5:

So much of this “What If” reading plan can feel like it's about doing, right? Seizing the day, making the most of the one life you get. But today, we're going to talk about a huge component that is essential in our daily lives if we're going to run our race well and reach the end with no “what ifs.” Are you ready? 

Waiting. I know that the word “waiting” doesn't seem like it has any place in a series about no regrets and no “what ifs.” In fact, it feels like the antithesis of the word, the opposite of doing. The definition of the word “waiting” is the action of staying where one is or delaying action until a particular time or until something else happens. 

Now, we live in a world that does not like to wait. Unless, of course, I'm in the drive-thru line waiting for my Chick-fil-A. I don't mind waiting for that. But, for everything else, I want immediate gratification. I want my movies on demand, I want my DoorDash delivered on time, I want what I want when I want it. Don't tell me I have to wait. Does anybody relate to that? If you haven't noticed by now, God sees things differently than the world does. The same God who says, “the last shall be first,” who says, “their strength is surrender,” and who says, “giving is better than receiving.” That same God, a God of opposites, says, “waiting is better than rushing.”

 Check out this verse from Isaiah 40:31. I love the scripture. “But those who wait upon the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not faint.”

There's that word... “Wait.” And that's not the only time in scripture that God encourages us to wait on Him. You see this throughout the Bible. I love this quote from G Campbell Morgan. “Waiting for God is not laziness. Waiting for God is not the abandonment of effort. Waiting for God means, first, activity under command; second, readiness for any new command that may come; third, the ability to do nothing until the command is given.” That's some big stuff right there. 

Now, here's another scripture that reminds us of the importance of waiting. Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still, and know that I am God.” Another translation says, “Cease striving, and know that I am God.” That hits me particularly hard.

So, what's the Bible trying to tell us with all these encouragements to wait, or to be still, or to cease striving? Here are four big takeaways that I've learned about the importance of waiting on the Lord: 

1) When we wait on the Lord, He renews our strength. Just like the scripture says, are you weary from doing, working, striving, hustling? No doubt, each one of us has a long to-do list, and we get hit in the face with it each day from the moment we wake up. The enemy wants it that way. He wants us focused on all of that as soon as we awake in the morning, so we'll forget to take care of other things. I believe the devil gets so mad when we resist the urge to check our email or jump into an activity and instead make a choice to wait upon the Lord. He knows that our strength will be renewed, and when we're strong in the Lord, he won't be able to defeat us. 

2) When we don't wait on the Lord, we wind up wishing we had. Do you know what I'm talking about? We get ahead of God; we try to make our will happen, we try to take control. We step outside of His will for our lives, and there is no better place to be than in the center of God's will. When we wait upon the Lord, we are reminded of that. 

3) God doesn't want us to chase down our own plans and then turn around and ask for his stamp of approval. I have been guilty of that too many times. What God wants of us is to lay down our plans and wait on him; wait for His command. 

4) God speaks. When we wait on Him, when we stop talking long enough to listen, He speaks. Jeremiah 33:3 says, “Call to me, and I will answer you, and I will show you great and hidden things which you do not know.” Do you ever wish you could hear the voice of God? You don't wish for that. He's offering it to you. You just have to choose to wait in His presence and be still long enough to listen. 

I'm willing to bet that at some point today, you're going to find yourself feeling impatient about something—an operator is going to have you on hold for too long, you'll be stuck in traffic, your wifi might be slow. Would you take that as an opportunity to wait on the Lord? Be still, cease striving, let your heart and mind be reminded that He is God. He is in control. That reminder is going to renew your strength and give you greater clarity as you face the day ahead, the weeks ahead, the months ahead, and the years ahead of you. 

You want to live a life of no “what ifs?” Don't underestimate the power and the importance of waiting.