While Waiting
In a previous post, I wrote about a positive expectation regarding “Tomorrow”, because “Tomorrow” has its owner and programmer, who is the Lord.
But the reality tells us that “Tomorrow” could be tomorrow, which is few hours from now, while it can also be a metaphorical expression that contains days, and perhaps weeks. Therefore, we must ask ourselves:
What do we do while waiting? How do we spend time, thoughts, and feelings during this period, which is often covered with the difficulty of waiting and anticipation?
As I am passing through my “waiting time,” I searched to see how some men of God dealt with it in the Bible. I was struck with the story of Elijah, who had won the duel on Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18), then received the threat from Jezebel like a thunderbolt that struck him in the depths of his waiting for God to pursue victory (1 Kings 19).
As a result, he chose to run away and hide. He traveled south towards Beersheba, then completed another day's journey and arrived at a place where he slept. He did not only sleep from the fatigue of traveling, but also from the severity of his annoyance with what the conditions had reached.
“4But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he asked that he might die, saying, “It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers.” (1Kings 19:4) ESV.
But the Lord intervened to help him. He woke him up and asked him how he was. He had no answer other than to eat what was available to him, and sleep (V6).
* Have you ever thought why wouldn’t the Lord blame you on your anger towards Him? Why did he follow me to this place and provide food?
And the Lord returned to intervene to help him, and gave him food and strength and an assignment to continue the journey towards Mount Horeb in Sinai, v. 7-8.
* Has it ever occurred to you to ask why this food again, and this strange mission? Have you ever wondered this: I was expecting him to send me back north towards Jerusalem, and now he is ordering me to continue to flee south to Sinai?
The angry Elijah reached the mountain and found a cave, so what did he do? (V9)!
* Has it occurred to you to yourself before you sleep: What is so special about this place? Why did you Lord bring me here?
* Why don't you give up your annoyance, anger, and pain even a little bit, and ask: Why am I in this place?
But the Lord was prompt again to ask him the question that Elijah had to ask: "“What are you doing here, Elijah?” (V. 9). And here you can imagine Elijah in despair, anger and annoyance saying “I’m fed up, there is nothing left.” Answering the Lord:
ü His Championships “I have been very jealous for the LORD, the God of hosts”.
ü Inaction of the people: “For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword”.
ü His loneliness and threats: “and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.” (V.10)
What do we do during the waiting time?
How do we spend time, thoughts and feelings during this period, which is often covered with the difficulty of waiting and anticipation?
Many times, we impersonate Elijah's position, forgetting what the Lord may be preparing in “tomorrow’s file” that we are waiting for!
Elijah, in his "waiting time", overlooked the fundamental changes that the Lord was preparing for new assignments in Elijah's "tomorrow"!
Note with me what was in the “tomorrow’s file”, which Elijah was waiting for without patience, and without faith:
v Personal meeting with God: ”… And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces … And after the fire the sound of a low whisper. 13And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out …” (V.11-13)
v A prophecy mission specific to the Kingdom of Aram: “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus. And when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael to be king over Syria” (V.15)
v A prophecy mission specific to the Kingdom of Israel: “16And Jehu the son of Nimshi you shall anoint to be king over Israel” (V.16)
v A prophecy mission for his successor: “and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah you shall anoint to be prophet in your place” (V.16)
v A message of reassurance which included a soft blame: “Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.” (V.18)
What do we do during the waiting time?
Do we spend time increasing fatigue and exhaustion, negative anticipation, and throwing blame east and west, on so-and-so, including the Lord?
Or do we try to do as Asaph did “17until I went into the sanctuary of God” (Psalm 73/17)? Meaning, we enter his presence and ask him: What is the story, O Lord?
Is there anything new that you want to tell me?
Is my assignment finished or am I waiting for a new assignment?
Do you have a medicine to control the waves tumbling inside me?
Am I looking in the right direction or are my eyes out of focus?
Calgary Sep 5th, 2021