Waiting on God is just a sliver of a thought

Enduring and waiting

Is 40:30-31

Israel, why then do you complain    that the Lord doesn't know your troubles
    or care if you suffer injustice?   ²⁸ Don't you know? Haven't you heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God;    he created all the world.
He never grows tired or weary.    No one understands his thoughts.
²⁹ He strengthens those who are weak and tired.
³⁰ Even those who are young grow weak;    young people can fall exhausted.
³¹ But those who trust in the Lord for help    will find their strength renewed.
They will rise on wings like eagles;    they will run and not get weary;
    they will walk and not grow weak. GNT

Yet those who wait

וְקֹויֵ֤

ve·ko·v·ye

6960a

to wait for

a prim. root

You’ve made a decision and it doesn’t seem to be working out….do you continue?  You felt as if God told you to move in a certain direction, but the pieces don’t seem to be falling in place.  You pursued a relationship and the person isn’t who you thought they were.   They are not perfect, so do you end it?  You are talking with God again…but He seems silent.  How does God expect you to continue to wait?

This step of waiting is the maturing of faith in a believer.  It fine tunes our ability to follow God’s leading.  We have stepped into an unsure and unknown future that we thought  was the right direction.  Now God is allowing the roots of faith to grow deep.  Jesus heard that Lazarus was sick, but he waited to go to him.  God was wanting to raise Lazarus from the dead.  Jesus had to wait until he died.  This event also inspired Jesus just a short time later to know that God the Father, would raise Him up into The Resurrected life.  He is the first born of the dead…never to die again.

Have you ever braided small rope or strands together?  After a few braids you pull and stretch to test their strength.  If it breaks, you then start over, but you twist and add more strands, until the desired strength is found.  A strong rope actually starts with fiber or filaments that are twisted together to form a sliver.  These slivers of many fibers is then woven into yarn.  The yarns are then braided into a strand.  Finally the three strands are woven together into a rope.  Hence a cord of three strands is not easily broken.

This is the primary root of the word wait (kavah) n this passage.  It means to twist as in strengthening a rope.  So waiting or hoping in the Lord is not a one time event that is so monumental that you “learn your lesson”.  Rather it is a series of intentional redirecting of your thoughts toward the knowledge of who God is and how He interacts with your life that produces a strong faith in God, so that you know He is good and never grows weary in His support for your life.  You see when we are overwhelmed with life, it’s problems and issues…it’s hard to look to God.  Our gaze is fully on our struggle and why God doesn’t intervene.  But He wants us to add another sliver of trust.  Peter said it best, “where else can we go? You, alone, have the words of life?”  There is no other option available.

That doesn’t mean you are stuck.  Rather, it is a renewed trust to follow God in every decision for your future.  As for making that decision, Charles Davis (an anointed teacher with lots of wisdom) gave some great thoughts about following God.  “When you have a deep inner conviction accompanied by a strong inner peace, then move forward.”  This of course will not violate any of God’s commands or His direction to always love others.  Be humble in your listening to counselors…they may have walked that path before.

Wait or hope in the lord is to take you thoughts captive and twist another sliver of faith toward God who loves you.  Then you can expect to be refreshed, strengthened, new ability to soar like eagles.

Father, you know all things and you do all things well.  Today we once again acknowledge our faith and trust in you lead and guide us in every decision.  We do not want to follow our own way of thinking.  Help us to see how we are to place our trust in you.  Help us to see how to endure, wait, and hope in your deliverance.  We position our thinking today to follow you the author and the finisher of our faith.  In Jesus name, Amen