"I will wait for you, on your word I will rely.
I will wait for you, until my soul is satisfied." ("Psalm 130" by Shane and Shane)
What a powerful statement.
To wait is not easy.
We get impatient to wait for our meal, our 5-second internet delay, and a 60-second wait for a stoplight.
If Liberia has taught me one thing, it's how to slow down.
Waiting for a meal can be 2 hours or more, internet can be out for days on end, and traffic can be delayed for up to 5 hours (okay...maybe that's not sooo different).
Everything is slower here.
But not only that. Everything is much more unpredictable here. Electricity can go out for a few seconds or a few days. Flat tires are a common occurrence during road travel. Unexpected (but very desired) visitors can delay your study plans. Rainstorms can delay an event by 1-2 hours.
A typical day is Liberia is filled with much more variation than in America.
But as a result, there are so many opportunities to be reminded to wait on the Lord.
My love is so good at this.
Food didn't cook on time? No problem.
Our motorbike got a flat tire? Let me get it fixed quick.
Our wedding plans are delayed? Let's keep seeking the Lord.
As a result of his example, reading an excellent book on waiting ( Waiting Isn't a Waste - it's even on sale right now at Amazon!), and digging out the treasure of God's truth through His Word and beautiful gospel-centered worship, I have started to find opportunity in the unexpected rather than dread.
I have started to see that relying on God for safe travel creates peace. Turning to God when I face a problem with friend produces wisdom. Trusting in Him for my present and my future gives me freedom.
Not because those realities always turn out the way I expect. He doesn't always answer my prayer how I want.
But when I choose to wait on the Lord, my soul is satisified.
It's the reason Horatio Spafford could pen "It is well with my soul" after losing his wife and all his children in a boat accident.
It's the reason Job found hope and encouragement in the midst of arguably the worst life situations ever.
It's the reason missionaries around the world can suffer joyfully for the gospel.
It's the reason Jesus could go to the cross willingly.
Because when your soul is satisfied, you want for nothing.
Of course, I am not perfect and neither is my love. We have been filled with doubts and fears even in our short time being together.
But as we continue to seek the Lord first and wait on Him, we see amazing things come to fruition.
We don't always understand what is happening or why, but we have built so much trust in the Lord and that results in peace.
And so many times we can look back and see that the Lord absolutely knows what He is doing. He is trustworthy.
"In this world, you will have trouble, but take heart for I have overcome the world." John 16:33
As we continue to "fix our eyes on Jesus" (Hebrews 12:2), continue to pray along with us.
As the song mentions, we will continue to wait on the Lord -- not our bank account, the strengths of the other person, electricity, intelligence, or a thousand other "rocks" we tend to turn to instead of Christ.
"I wait for the Lord,
my soul waits,
and in his word I hope;
my soul waits for the Lord
more than watchmen for the morning,
more than watchmen for the morning."
Psalm 130: 5-6
One season of waiting is over in 7 More. DAYS!
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