Greetings again my Brethren. Let us continue looking at the four remaining proper characteristics in waiting on God. The next proper and seventh characteristic is patiently. Now this one we all can relate to. Not many people are truly patient. If you think you are just go stand in a line of people, most people get frustrated in waiting and some even will have ill thoughts towards the person in front of them or in front of the lines. God must really work in our heart to make us “patiently wait.” In Psalms we read, “I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.
2 He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.’ (Psalms 40:1-2) Calmly enduring the seemingly fruitless expenditure of time and effort in the realization that to hurry God is to find fault with Him. Look what happens when we wait patiently for the LORD, “he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.” We all want God to “hear our faintest cry and answer us by and by” as the song says, but the condition for God to hear us is not praying longer and louder, but waiting. God does know what He is doing. We pray and wait for God to give us the answer. No need for begging or beating God over the head with His word, thanking Him for hearing you in a heart condition of gratitude is okay, but no need to keep beating Him up. In all things in God waiting is the place if receiving from Him. The eighth characteristic is hopefully. In Lamentation we read, “It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD. 27 It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.” (Lamentation 3:26-27) Oh look the Holy Spirit added “quietly.” With quiet and unwavering confidence in the ultimate response of God. Make no mistake my friend God will respond. We may not like it, we may not agree with it, it may not be in our time line, but what we must NEVER do is lose heart that God cares and we must NEVER lose heart that he will respond in due season. Quietly and hoping is what God is looking for in us. I have often thought (do not have scripture and verse for this) God will hold off with an answer to our request based on our heart condition. Seems to be something most parents do with their children. I have always heard “bad attitudes and ungratefulness can cause a delay in getting our way.” Not really sure if God operates this way, but you know I would not be surprised and would not blame Him one bit. The next and ninth characteristic for proper waiting is lovingly. Now all of the proper characteristics are important, but I would think lovingly would be one of the most important of the 10 because lovingly is so much like our heavenly Father. Paul helps us here in 1 Corinthians, “But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. 10 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.” (1 Corinthians 2:9-10) This waiting should not be the waiting of a selfish beggar, but the waiting of a yearning lover. In spite of God’s great love for man “the things which God hath prepared” are not “prepared” for all men and women. Oh no my friend. “The things which God hath prepared” are “prepared” for only them that love him. These are the good things that God has prepared, but make no mistake my friend God too has “prepared” things for them that do not love Him. God would be an unloving God not to provide for the people who do not love Him. In God’s love He has provided a place called hell. It is not a question of God’s love both provisions are a part of God’s love, but the question is which side of God’s love are we going to receive based on our either rejecting or accepting of God’s love through His Son Jesus Christ and the work He did on the cross for our salvation. This thought leads perfectly into the last and tenth proper characteristic – preferentially. A waiting whereby we desire God in preference to ANYTHING else. There is NOTHING before God in our lives.
God says, “I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me. 18 Riches and honour are with me; yea, durable riches and righteousness.
19 My fruit is better than gold, yea, than fine gold; and my revenue than choice silver.” (Proverbs 8:17-19) WOW now I am not there yet, but the train has left the station. This is a very costly place in God, but it is the place God desires for all of us to arrive to. It is like I can see it afar off, I can almost taste and touch it, but like Paul, “For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. 16 If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. 17 Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. 18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.” (Romans 7:15-18) Let us patiently wait on God to be developed beyond this.
Next month we will do some comparisons and literal rendering at some of the verses in the proper characteristics section. Walter Beuttler said if you build God a temple He will inhabit it. Have you built God a temple? If you do He will abide and wait for you.
Written by David Stahl
