Welcome to the table of waiting. There is a reason when you go to the doctor’s office, you are in the “waiting” room – and that couldn’t have been defined better. Why do we have to wait? We might be early for the appointment – or late, or the doctor is not ready yet. Did you know that the place of waiting at the table of God is for two main reasons: 1) we are connecting with others while we wait; and 2) we are developing character, while we get to know our sovereign.
Message: How to wait- Isaiah 40:25-31. In the late 80’s I invited some church people over for Christmas Day dinner. The invitation said 1:00 P.M., and suddenly, I hear the doorbell at 11:30 A.M.
I have my hair in rollers (not a pretty site), I have yet to set the table and do the final touches and here is one of the invitees one and a half hours early. So, I greeted her and politely drew her to the couch, giving her things to read, T.V. to watch, etc., and don’t you know, through that whole time she kept asking questions or making comments and I’d run back in, thinking I missed something important. This, by the way, is why God will set the time frame for His return and those who are early will wait, while those who are late will be left behind. God is teaching and reaching while we wait.
Is waiting a waste of time? No, it is fueling us for the future. Isaiah 40: 25-31
- Wait is the Hebrew word “qavah” – kaw-vah, meaning “look for, wait for”. It also has the idea of the tension of enduring that strand of rope that binds together and gets stronger with each intertwining in his presence. This is why we wait with the body of Christ, so that we are in one accord, and we’re not just waiting, twiddling our thumbs; we wait in hope and expectation, ready to serve at his bidding.
- To wait makes us not ashamed – Psalm 25:1-3. “Ashamed” is the Hebrew word “bosh” (boosh), meaning, “be ashamed, disappointed”, where mostly we are ashamed and God is disappointed. Waiting provides that time of healing and restoration, getting strong and reinforced. We remember in Genesis 3:10, that Adam and Eve were ashamed of their nakedness. Who told them they were naked? When they ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, the fruit opened up self awareness and two things came out: fear and hiding; shame brings fear of discovery and hiding is that place where we protect ourselves. Or so we think. The primitive root of the word shame means “pale”. There’s a lack of life and even physical characteristics that show a draining of hope. Fear is the Hebrew word “yare” (yaw-ray), meaning “affright, and means dehabilitating and paralyzing fear”. Fear caused them to hide. The Hebrew word “hid” is “chaba”, meaning, “to withdraw, hide”. Someone who’s been abused physically will sherk back from touch; someone who’s been deflated by words will withdraw from conversation, goals, and life. Remember that Adam and Eve heard God’s voice in the garden and they hid themselves. The Hebrew word “voice” is “qol” (kole), meaning both “sound and voice”. Since hearing is the last thing to go before death, here – in a fallen state, they can still hear Him. Isn’t it wonderful that God allowed conversation, even though He would be moving them outside of the perfection of paradise? Even spiritual deadness can hear the whispering hope of The Almighty.
- What happens? We will learn to fly like the eagle – Hebrew “nesher” – meaning, “the griffon vulture”. This bird is on the verge of extinction now, just like we can see the obliteration of all night prayer meetings, people seeking God for the right reasons, and interceding for this world. This eagle nests on cliff tops and gives special care to its fledglings for seven weeks. They fly swiftly and hover easily. Short legs and wide span. We need to stand in Christ, not in our achievement- stilts get no airtime. God wants us to soar with Him, with a sight that can visualize death and decay, so we can pray and intercede. Psalm 37:7 also reminds us that we need to wait patiently and be still. The Hebrew word here is “chuwl” – meaning “to beat or wait longingly, not grudgingly”. Let’s “chew” on that. Waiting connects us in a more firm bond and develops our character as we wait for and on Yahweh.