Waiting on God

I hate waiting.  I hate  lines at stores.  I hate waiting at crosswalks.  I hate waiting at the doctor’s office.

I can’t imagine what it must have been like to be David.

  According to Josephus, the Jewish historian, David was probably ten when Samuel anointed him as the next king of Israel. 

If that’s true, David waited at least 20 years before he was anointed king of Judah and 27 years before he was anointed king of all Israel.

That’s a lot of waiting.  But even worse was everything he had to go through during that time.  Becoming a national hero, only to become a fugitive a short time later, with just a hair’s breadth between life and death.

And yet, despite all the ups and downs, despite whatever doubts he may have experienced in that time, he never stopped waiting on God.

He had at least two chances to make things happen.  Twice, he could have killed Saul and claimed the throne.  But twice, he chose to wait on God and his timing.

How could he do that?  I can barely make myself wait at a stoplight. 

I think the key was he trusted that God was someone who kept his promises.

And because God keeps his promises, we don’t have to try to force the issue.  We just have to keep doing the things he asks, and he will get us to the place he wants us to be.

That’s something Saul couldn’t do.  Instead of waiting for Samuel, and waiting on God’s deliverance when the Philistines attacked, he tried to force the issue by offering sacrifices himself.  And in doing so, he sinned.

Instead of waiting on God’s blessing, he tried to bring blessing on himself by keeping plunder that God had ordered destroyed.  And as  a result of these two incidents, God rejected him as king.

How about you?  What are you waiting for in your life?  A job?  A wife?  A husband? 

Remember that God has promised to provide everything you need.  Remember that God promises you a good future.

So don’t disobey God thinking you have to force things to happen.  Keep waiting on him.  Keep trusting him.  And keep doing the things he asked, and he will keep his promises to you.

As David wrote later,

The eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love…

We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield.

In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name.

May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in you.  (Psalm 33:18; 20-22)