When God Says "Wait," What Do We DOOOO?

When God says wait, what do we do while we hunker down?

I’m sitting by the fire this rare wintry day thinking about hunkering down in a storm.

The Lord spoke those words to me toward the end of last year as I cried out to Him for help with fear about an impossible situation. There was (and is) nothing I could do, so I didn’t know what to do. Have you ever been there? Desperate for God because you are face-to-face with the reality of how little control you really have?

The Lord answered me that day: “Hunker down.”What exactly does that mean, Lord?

His answer came over weeks of praying and asking Him for clarity and instruction, spending time reading, studying and praying through passages to which He led me in the Bible, and talking with a few women in my life who are trusted, praying, hearing confidants.

The Lord made His message clear: “Submit and wait for word from Me.”When the New Year rolled around, I began to think about my one word for the year. I thought my one word was trust, until the Lord changed it to wait, which for me, involves a lot of trust!We all have times of waiting in our lives, don’t we? And waiting is hard, isn’t it? We might be waiting for a spouse, a child, a job, a home or a friend. We might be waiting for the right time, the right answer, the right diagnosis or treatment, the right finances or a buyer to come along for our home. We might need salvation or deliverance – for ourselves or someone else. It’s probably safe to say all of us are always waiting for something all the time.

At the encouragement of my life group (aka Sunday school) teacher a few weeks ago, I dug a little deeper into God’s word about my word. When we get into God’s word, we hear His voice.Using the ESV version of the Bible on blueletterbible.org, I typed in the word wait in the search bar. As I read through the 86 uses in 85 scriptures, I compiled a Word document of the scriptures that spoke to the whom, what, when, where, why and how of waiting, including God’s promises and instructions to us in the wait. As I did, the Lord spoke clearly through His word a message of encouragement and instruction for what to do as I wait. Perhaps it is a message for you, too.

Everywhere you see a blank, insert your name!

A Word for the Waiting, I have put My Spirit in you; wait for ME with your soul in hope.

______________, wait patiently, quietly, eagerly, by My Spirit and by faith on the mountain, in the valley, in the wilderness, anywhere, everywhere, any time, all the time, for I am faithful!

______________, I promise, when your soul waits for Me and Me alone for salvation:

I will exalt you to inherit the land;

I will deliver you;

I will act for you;

I will help you;

I will hear you;

you shall not be put to shame;

evildoers will be cut off, and  you will look on when the wicked are cut off;

you will be blessed;

you will see, receive and experience My goodness, graciousness, mercy and justice;

you will renew your strength;

you will mount up with wings like eagles;

you will run and not be weary;

you will walk and not faint;

I will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of My return.

_______________, as you wait, pray:

"Lord, lead me in Your truth and teach me; may integrity and uprightness preserve me; be gracious to me, my arm every morning and salvation in time of trouble."

_______________, as you wait:

be strong;

let your heart take courage;

be still;

do not fret over the one who prospers in his way;

keep My way;

thank Me forever,

hope in My word;

renew your strength,

mount up with wings like an eagle,

run;

walk;

seek Me with your soul;

return;

hold fast to love and justice;

look to Me;

do not say, "I will repay evil";

and never, ever, ever wait to do what is right before you in My word.

God’s word is life changing and transforming! But not if it just sits dormant. We must wield it! So I copied God’s message on to several index cards and clipped them in the front of my SIMPLE Prayer binder, where God’s truth for waiting will remain before me in prayer until it becomes a part of me: my belief and therefore what determines my actions.

Are you waiting? Is your hope in the Lord or something or someone else? Is God Himself enough to satisfy your soul, regardless of what He does or doesn’t do for you? What would happen if you printed this or copied it in your own prayer binder or journal and prayed it until you believed and did it?