W.A.I.T. Training

Therefore I will look unto the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me. Micah 7:7

The year is about to close and many of us look back with thankfulness. How God’s abundant grace has sustained and kept us through 2011’s ups and downs.   Relationships intact, goals met—grateful and satisfied with chapters ending and new ones beginning.

What about goals unmet, dreams on hold, expectations and relationships hanging?

Sometime this year, the home schooled daughter of a friend conducted a seminar called “Wait Training” for tweens  (10-12 year olds) and teens. Such a fitting title to encourage these young ones to stay pure in all areas of their lives.  As I mulled over such a creative title, I thought about how we all needed this kind of “wait” training. Expectation to realization can take longer than usual. Is it possible to wait with grace?

Admittedly, I can be very impatient. I despise traffic, long queues, long processes and there have been times, I would lose my cool and along the way, exasperate my hubby or step on toes (little ones L).  I have tried again and again to be patient but I kept falling into a sinful response. Then I realized how patience is a fruit of the Spirit (See Galatians 6:22). When I believed in Jesus, was I not sealed with the Spirit? It dawned upon me that I had the supernatural power to be patient, I was just not appropriating it.

Many, many  times the Lord calls us to wait. I believe with the call, comes the enabling.  On my own, I revert to my impatient self. Only when I admitted my helplessness and expressed my need for the Spirit to empower me (confidently believing in His promise to complete the work He began in me), did I begin to experience true change.

In life, many situations put us in a position to wait. As young children, we were told to wait our turn, to wait to grow taller; as tweens, wait for puberty; as teens, for legal age; as an adult, for God’s appointed spouse, for our firstborn, wait in line for check-ups, for pedia visits, on to more complex things: for conditions to heal, for a break in home school, for people to reconcile, debts to be paid, etc.  And in my many encounters with waiting, I have a choice: to wait constructively or destructively. The former is possible by grace, the latter is inevitable when I give in to frustration and fret. This destructive response gets me nowhere. I am grateful for discovering some practical things I can do to wait with grace. Hope this helps you while you W.A.I.T.

WORSHIP.  I believe in the sovereignty of God. Even if my schedule goes haywire, His never does. This calms me as I wait, knowing that He is in complete control. I may feel unproductive as I wait, but I have seen how trusting in Him accomplishes so much more than fretting.  I nurture that trust by focusing on God’s character. As I wait, I make time to listen to songs of praise and worship or pray alphabet or acronym worship. “Lord, You are Almighty, Bountiful, Comforting, Delightful, Eternal,…”  or  “Lord, thank you for being Loving, Omnipresent, Radiant, Divine.”

In no time, my mind is flooded with memory after memory of His goodness and love lifting me to a new level of worship.

APPRECIATION. I am aware that there are those who are also waiting like me, and we all need encouragement in the process. Take time to touch lives. Whether it is an inspirational text, an uplifting call, or a refreshing note, it does not take much to brighten someone’s day.

INTERCESSION. The Free Online dictionary defines intercession as entreaty in favor of another, especially a prayer or petition to God in behalf of another. Jesus interceded for Peter that his faith may not fail. We are called to pray for one another. This is a powerful privilege that gets easily set aside by urgent concerns.  How ironic! Engaging in more prayer can actually ease the way for me, protecting me and others from urgent things!

Whether it is at the check out counter, paying toll, or waiting for my children to come home from school, or longing for Jesus’ second coming, I can be a blessing by praying for others.  I love using appropriate Scripture when interceding because I know the Lord, who authored those words, is agreeing with me J

Are you familiar with interceding using your fingers as your guide? Email me, if interested and I can share with you this cool intercession tool.

THANKSGIVING.  Finally, T is for thanksgiving. As I wait, I count my blessings.  Some Christmases ago, a dear friend gave me a small calendar and she challenged me to fill it up with a blessing a day. The calendar is a reminder to me of God’s promise that goodness and mercy shall follow me all my days. Why don’t you try this out in 2012? You will hold in your hand unmistakable proof of God’s faithfulness!

So when you anticipate that waiting will be part of your day, pack a small worship notebook, an empty notecard, Scripture verses and a small calendar to complete your WAIT training bag! Here’s to lighter and brighter waiting times!

Be encouraged, “Each day without the rain brings the rain one day closer.”  (Precious Ramotswe)