Hi.
Welcome to the fe2 Women’s Mentoring Network.
Welcome to the fe2 Women’s Mentoring Network.
Read Psalm 130:6 and note who the Psalmist compares his waiting too. What is a watchman? They were people appointed to stand watch in a tower overlooking the city and beyond to be on the lookout for potential threats at night. Are you currently looking for and anxiously waiting for something like a watchman in your own life?
Habakkuk is a small but powerful book that tells the story of the prophet standing guard and waiting at his watchpost. Habakkuk is frustrated that the Lord hasn’t yet chosen to deal with the evil all around him. Read Habakkuk 1:2-3, 5. What is Habakkuk’s question and what is the Lord’s response?
Now read Habakkuk 2:1-3 and note Habakkuk’s decision and the Lord’s response. Next, read Habakkuk’s determination in 3:17-19. Did Habakkuk get what he wanted? Or did he instead choose to trust and wait with hope?
Read Psalm 130:5. What are we supposed to hope in while we are waiting? Just like Habakkuk, we are to hope in the word of the Lord. But how do we trust Him if we do not know Him to be true to His word? Read Isaiah 40:28-31. Does that sound like a God we could trust?
Habakkuk did not get what he wanted, but he still chose to trust the Lord that His ways were better even though Habakkuk did not understand or even agree. What are you longing for or waiting for right now? Would you be able to choose to trust the Lord even if your longing went unfulfilled?
Proverbs 13:12 states that “hope deferred makes the heart sick”. Can you relate to that? Perhaps it is because we put our hope in circumstances and not the Source of Hope. Are you hoping in answers or hoping in the One who ultimately has all of the answers?
As expressed in Psalm 130, if we are to hope in the word of the Lord, how well do you know the Word to actually hope in it?? What can you do about that? Who could you partner with to memorize scripture together during this time of waiting?
What does waiting well look like? Read Psalm 27:14. What two commands are given for those who are waiting on the Lord? Do those sound passive or active?
The Word is full of broken people just like us who waited well and those who did not. Let’s look at some examples.
You can read in Genesis 12-23 about Abraham and Sarah and their long awaited promise of a child. Between the promise and the fulfillment, about 25 years went by and Sarah got antsy. She never wavered on the promise of a child, she instead faltered on how it was supposed to happen. She decided the Lord needed her help so she convinced Abraham to bear her a son through her servant. How well did that work out for her? Still today the two nations of Abraham are fighting. Sarah did not wait well and the consequences are still in effect.
You can read in Genesis 37-50 about Joseph. He was wrongly accused time and time again. And yet each time, he took the opportunity to build character, to be strong and to take courage in the waiting. Whether he was a slave or in prison, he worked diligently over decades and trusted the Lord. Eventually he took over as second in command of a great nation. He waited well.
In the NT, you can read in Luke 22:39-46 about the disciples in the garden with Jesus. They were not waiting for decades like the previous two examples. They simply were asked to wait, watch and pray for one night. Did they wait well? No, they fell asleep! Waiting well is not just about something that is years in the making - it can also be a reminder to wait well even in the small tasks and daily waiting. Which seems harder for you?
The NT is also covered in books by the apostle Paul. In Acts 9 you can read about his conversion from a zealous Pharisee to a humble servant of Christ. But what did Paul do between Acts 9 and Acts 15? He spent that 14 years working as a tentmaker and in his free time studying the Scriptures and seeking wise counsel from mentors. He stayed strong in the Lord and took courage to diligently be prepared to do the next thing when the Lord’s timing was revealed. What are you doing to prepare your heart and mind in times of waiting?
We often find ourselves in a holding pattern waiting for our plane to land. Will you choose to trust the Lord, to be strong, to take courage and to diligently prepare in the Word during that holding pattern? If so, you can run and not grow weary even if your plane is finally cleared to land and does not land at the destination you were expecting…. “His thoughts are not our thoughts and His ways are not our ways.” (Isaiah 55:8-9)
Suggested Reading: The Land Between: Finding God in Difficult Transitions by Jeff Manion or do a word study on how the words patience, endurance and waiting are used in the Bible.