Lincoln Brewster - While I WaitSmakprov

SERVE WHILE WAITING

I live by faith and not by sight / Sometimes miracles take time

Time. It’s a concept I struggle to understand. Some days, it seems like I never have enough of it. When I look at my long to-do list, I hope for more time. When I realize my children are growing up faster than I can comprehend, I mourn the time passed and wish for time to stand still. 

But when I’m waiting for God to move? Well, time can’t move fast enough. The truth of the matter is, sometimes miracles take time. And sometimes the best thing we can do while we’re waiting on our miracle is to be a part of someone else’s miracle.

You see, worship and prayer generally lead to a third action step: service. Hosea 12:6 (MSG) actually ties serving with waiting: “What are you waiting for? Return to your God! Commit yourself in love, in justice! Wait for your God, and don’t give up on Him — ever!”

The best part about this is that God has uniquely wired each of us to serve in an area where He can most naturally use our gifts and talents. So our passions can often be executed through service.

You don’t have to start a non-profit or lead a movement to serve. All you have to do is look for areas where God is already at work around you. Start by talking to someone at your church about ministries they’re partnering with. This might look like serving food at a local homeless shelter once a month, or it might look like tutoring kids after school. It might be as simple as walking next door and introducing yourself to your neighbor; or it might be as faith-stretching as signing up for a foreign mission trip. It might even look like a combination of all of the above.

Pray and ask the Lord to open doors of opportunity in areas where you can serve. Then watch as He leads you to surprising places where you can organically use your gifts to serve others. God’s heart is for justice and compassion, and He desires for us to partner with Him in His great redemptive work.

As we serve while we wait, we’ll quickly find that our focus will shift off of ourselves and onto the people we’re serving.