How To Wait on God: Lesson 1
“But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.”
Isaiah 40:31 NKJV
After reading this verse and complaining to God that I feel frustrated in the wait, He graciously offered to teach me how to wait so this verse is a reality in my life.
My first lesson began that morning. As usual, I was running late for work. As usual, I worshipped as I drove to work. But something felt different that morning.
The songs God chose for me (my phone was shuffling through my entire collection of songs) were all about Him. Now you may think, aren’t all Christian songs about God? Not really. Today, many of the songs we sing are about breakthrough or what God will do for us. And that is okay. But that morning God said, “Focus on me, just me.”
As I worshipped Him, it seemed as I got to work in record time. I almost missed my exit because it came up so swiftly.
God said, “This is your first lesson. As you wait, focus on the beauty and the majesty of who I am. Take your eyes, your thoughts off the ‘outcome’ and let your focus be on Me.”
I have Apple Car Play in my car. Which means I can connect my phone to my car and display my phone screen on the console of my car. This comes in handy when I’m using my phone to navigate.
Just recently I drove five hours by myself. What I noticed was that my drive seemed longer if I displayed the map while I was driving. When my eyes were constantly seeing the estimated time of arrival and the miles remaining before I had to turn, the trip seemed excruciating long.
But when I turned the map display off and beheld God’s beautiful creation as I drove, the trip didn’t seem as long. Of course, it took the same amount of time but when I changed my focus, I enjoyed the ride instead of dreading it.
My phone would let me know when I was close to a turn. I would display maps once again. But my focus was no longer on the destination it was on enjoying God in the journey.
Yesterday, God continued my lesson. As I drove to work (running late once again), the Holy Spirit wrecked me. I was listening to “I Can Only Imagine”, by MercyMe. I began to imagine seeing Him face to face. Bowing before Him. Dancing with Him. Being in His presence 24/7 for eternity. I was overcome by joy. The presence of the Lord was so strong in my car, I began to weep. Even writing about it now brings tears to my eyes.
By the time I got to work, I just wanted to sit in my car and enjoy Him. My destination had become inconsequential in comparison to Him.
That my friends is on how we “Wait on God.” We take our focus off our destination, off our promises, and we focus on the beauty of God. We worship Him not for what He will do but simply because of who He is. We long for Him. We anticipate Him. We expect Him.
Friends, as we wait today, let us enjoy God in the journey.