Monday, August 9, 2010

Waiting on You, Lord


While I'm Waiting
by John Waller

I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am hopeful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it is painful
But patiently, I will wait

I will move ahead, bold and confident
Taking every step in obedience
While I'm waiting
I will serve You
While I'm waiting
I will worship
While I'm waiting
I will not faint
I'll be running the race
Even while I wait

I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am peaceful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it's not easy
But faithfully, I will wait
Yes, I will wait
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve you while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting on You, Lord



This song is speaking so much to me right now. We have only eleven days left on our 40 days of fasting for our church. So far, the only message we have been given is to wait...and our answer may not come during the fast, so we may have to wait until after it before the Lord provides that answer we seek. In the meantime, we wait.

I have seen some profound changes in a few people and the Lord has revealed to me that they and some others came to the surrendering I wrote about in a previous blog, which I am delighted to see, because I feel that is why we must wait. God is waiting on us to be prepared for His purpose.

While we wait, we are not just waiting. We are growing spiritually. We are seeking the Lord, trying to hear Him, yearning to know His will, wishing to serve Him, and desiring to please Him. We may feel that we try to do this all the time, but there is never the intensity of purpose as when we are fasting. We are surrendering ourselves, our will, our desires, and all to the Lord, willing to change, modify, and even let go of our own desires for His.

And, you know, this is the part that most people fear: They fear that God is going to ask them to do something that is difficult and that they will secretly hate doing it. In all the years of my life, God has only enriched my life. He has allowed...no, actually He has encouraged me to do all the things I really love to do, all that I had the talent and gifts to do, because He gave me those desires and talents to me, so obviously He wanted me to use them all and I have not used them all yet; there is still more to do. Many things only last for a season, and there is something else to be done, but I have the satisfaction of having done them and more to look forward to doing yet.

Yes, some things were difficult and will be difficult, but they also brought me joy and I believe will bring me joy. That is the God I serve. One who loves me and created me to do His work, not all His work, but the work I have been prepared to do. There were times that I knew what I was supposed to do, but things did not fall into place when I thought they would or should. That is when I had to wait...but waiting on the Lord is never just about waiting. He is given me time to prepare. Even when I think I am ready, He is patient with me until I realize that I really was not ready and how wise He was to make me wait.

What does this mean for my church? We have eleven days...only eleven more days of fasting, but that does not mean we will be done waiting. God has perfect timing and knows when we will be truly ready. In the meantime, we must serve Him, we must worship, we must not faint, we must keep on while we wait.

~ My Lord, I see changes in some people and it is so wonderful, but I also see others still struggling and it is so difficult to watch. I know this waiting is necessary and is good. I am concerned that people might be looking for the answer at the end of the fast and You may not give it then. I am concerned about the possible disappointment, particularly when this is the first fast many of them have ever done, but, my Lord, we are your children and You know what we need and when. I trust You fully to provide accordingly to Your will and timing, for it will be perfect. ~