The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him. It is good that one should hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD. Lamentations 3:25-26
I don’t wait very well. I get restless and irritable if I must wait more than a few minutes for anything. If my doctor is behind schedule, I am pacing the waiting room floor. Even five minutes on hold, and I hang up, thinking that I’ll try again later.
Unfortunately, I approach my prayer time with the same impatience. Rarely do I wait long enough for the Lord to answer. I know I am not the only one who struggles to sit patiently, waiting for God to answer.
Jesus asked Peter, James, and John to watch and pray in the Garden of Gethsemane, and they fell asleep. They didn’t wait well either.
“To wait” means to bind together through a process of intertwining[1]. So, to wait upon the Lord is to bind together with Him by the intertwining of our hearts. His thoughts need to wind into my thoughts. His desires need to be interlaced through mine. Waiting on the Lord is to pray and engage with Him until our hearts are knit together.
The next time Jesus asked His disciples to wait (Acts 1:4), the disciples did pray. They gathered in the upper room, and “they continued with one accord in prayer and supplication” (Acts 1:14 NKJ). When the time had fully come, they were filled with the promised Holy Spirit.
Here is what I have learned about waiting well. Rather than struggle alone at home, I need to gather with other disciples. I need to knit my heart with theirs, so we are “with one accord in prayer.” I need to consistently attend prayer meetings until God’s time is complete and He sends His promise.
I am blessed to have such a church just minutes from my home. We have several opportunities throughout the week to gather in prayer and supplication. We come together in one accord seeking the heart of God. I will persist until His timing is complete.
I pray you find such a church in your local area.
[1] New Spirit Filled Life Bible, Thomas Nelson, 2002, p.704.