Wait on the Lord

Psalm 37:34-40
Wait for the LORD and keep his way. He will exalt you to inherit the land; when the wicked are cut off, you will see it. I have seen a wicked and ruthless man flourishing like a green tree in its native soil, but he soon passed away and was no more; though I looked for him, he could not be found. Consider the blameless, observe the upright; there is a future for the man of peace. But all sinners will be destroyed; the future of the wicked will be cut off. The salvation of the righteous comes from the LORD; he is their stronghold in time of trouble. The LORD helps them and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him.

Those whose hope and faith are in the Lord are supposed to be able to keep their heads, not panic, forge through difficult and stressful situations with patience, perseverance and at least a modicum of wisdom - but always with grace. So why is it that we (yeah, i guess i'm including myself as one of "those") tend to panic, jump in, and force our assumptions or perhaps procrastinate, hide and evade (or maybe some combination of all those) when we see something that is incongruous to what we believe should be? I believe the problem that we aren't paying attention to that first injunction in the passage i quoted above. We tend not to "wait on the Lord."

I'm probably projecting too much. I am the way i am. Perhaps i'm assuming way too much - that most people are like me in this. But i do see an awful lot of it. I see it in those who assume they know what the Lord's mind is... or just want what they want to be the Lord's mind. We all operate out of some set of assumptions, but we need to first realize that living based solely on assumptions is dangerous and that we have got to be ready to change our assumptions when "reality" contradicts them.

Part of the problem we face is that we get it set in our minds of how things ought to be. Then we encounter something that contradicts that paradigm. Very often we - even Christians - will then jump in to make "it" fit our paradigm. It doesn't matter too much if it's a situation, a relationship or a person for whom we take some responsibility (like our kids). Then, when we can't make it fit into what we think it ought to be, we get frustrated, angry and discouraged. Sometimes we get exasperated and give up. Sometimes we just decide we have to do more and/or work harder. Most of the time, however, where we fail is in following the first injunction in this passage of Psalm 37 quotes above... "Wait for the Lord."

James tells us that our anger and frustration do nothing to accomplish God's purpose. Sometimes we think that our anger is the right response in order to get someone to act as we think they ought to act. But James is clear. Our anger may accomplish something of what we want (maybe) but it does not accomplish what God wants.

We need to 'wait for the Lord.' What does that mean? It means we must give ourselves to endless prayer (1 Thess 5:17). That means two things. First we must give ourselves to far more intentional prayer. We must stop to pray. We must join with other believers in prayer. We must call others to pray with us. We must be intentional about prayer. Second, it means that we must rethink how we make our decisions in the course of a day. Pray while driving. Pray while washing dishes. Pray while dialing the phone. Pray while riding the elevator. We must be in constant prayer. Prayer is making ourselves available to God. Prayer is turing our hearts over to God. Prayer is saying, "Here i am, Lord. Lead me. Use me. Guide me. " Prayer is the determination that i will do only that which honors God. Prayer is the determination to make everything i do an act of worship.

It also means we must give ourselves to the study and meditation of the scriptures. Praying the scriptures is one thing to do. Reading what the ancient Church Fathers have to say about the scriptures is another. Memorizing scripture (both verses as well as large passages and even entire books of the Bible) is another. Thinking on parts we don't understand and asking God what they mean... meditating on them... is another. Discussing the scriptures and exploring their meaning with other believers is another.

There is also worship - corporately with songs, prayer, reading of scripture, etc. - and work. Our work is a reflection of Christ within us. It demonstrates that we are willing to die to self and live to God.

And so, Father, may all that i am simply be all about you. Jesus, make my heart like yours. Spirit, illumine my heart and mind. O God, may the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart... and all that i am and do... be acceptable to you. In Christ.