The Second Attitude of Waiting

Last week I talked about the significance of waiting in our spiritual lives. Click here if you’d like to read that post. This week I want to explore the next attitude of waiting.

Waiting Patiently.

Our natural tendency leans toward a continuous sense of movement. When we feel our progress stalling, we grow agitated and antsy. Think of traffic. You’re moving along, thinking you might actually get home, or wherever, in a decent amount of time. Then one after another, you see those taillights glow a bright red and you moan along with the hum of your breaks. So much for that idea. Now you’re stuck, creeping along with no idea what’s causing the hold up or how long a delay lies ahead.

You’ve just lost control of your agenda. And now you have to wait. You can bang on the steering wheel, curse at the delusional driver who just cut in front of you, and rant the next hour or so. Or you can open the sun roof and let the sun warm your face, turn on some good Christian tunes, or even better, catch up on those prayer requests you didn’t get to in your hurry that morning.

Our lives are much the same. We think we’re moving along okay, then life throws something totally unexpected our way. We can rant and rave, or we can take advantage of the time and benefit from it. Learn from it. Trust God in the middle of it.

One such character comes to mind. Abraham’s life is a true picture of waiting. The Bible even describes how he waited:

And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised. — Hebrews 6:15

When God first spoke to him (then Abram) about his future offspring, Abraham was seventy-five years old. He was 100 years old at Isaac’s birth. That's a lot of waiting!

Through his Word, God gives us further instructions on this attitude of waiting:

Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him. — Psalm 37:7

But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. — Romans 8:25

I (David) waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. — Psalm 40:1

Waiting patiently is the next step in trusting God to be in control of our lives, especially when we can’t be. It’s all in the attitude, my friends, and that we always have control over.

Next week we’ll explore the third attitude of waiting. Waiting expectantly. Hope to see you here!

Praying, believing…and still waiting,
Dineen