I don’t particularly enjoy exercising. Okay, I don’t at all enjoy exercising. There are many kinds of exercise programs, but there are basically only two types of exercise. Aerobic exercise is meant to increase and improve oxygen consumption by the body to create endurance. Weight Training is meant to increase and improve muscle tone to create strength. But what about Wait Training?
I don’t particularly enjoy waiting. Okay, I don’t at all enjoy waiting. Anyone who has waited on God for anything knows how long and painful waiting can be. But is God training us? What is the purposed of this Wait Training? Could it be to increase our strength? Our faith? Our hope?
Let’s get some clues from a few bible verses (NIV) on waiting:
Psalm 27:14: “Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.” (strength)
Psalm 33:20: “We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield.” (hope)
Psalm 38:15: “I wait for you, O LORD; you will answer, O Lord my God.” (faith)
Psalm 40:1: “I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry.” (perseverance)
Psalm 130:5: “I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope.” (hope)
Romans 8:25: “But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.” (perseverance)
Through our waiting, God is training us, building our strength, building our hope, building our trust in him, which also gives us endurance. It’s like weight training and aerobic exercise all rolled into one!
There is an exercise phrase that states “No Pain, No Gain.” Biblically put it sounds like this: “we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.” (Romans 5:3-5)
I still don’t like exercising, but as I see the muscle become more defined I realize I like the results.
I still don’t like waiting, but as I see my character become more defined I realize I like the results.
“Blessed are all who wait…” Isaiah 30:18
3 comments:
Hi there,
Enjoyed reading your post today. I think most everyone hates to wait but it's sure a good discipline that we need to develop.
I found your blog from your comment on Lysa TerKeurst's site.
I would love for you to visit my blog also. Just go to my profile page and click on my blog name Walking in Truth at the bottom.
God bless.....
Marilyn in MS
LOL! Someone else that is dealing with the waiting issue. This has been a theme in my life for several years now. My favorite scripture on waiting is "But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles: they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." Isaiah 40:31
My waiting theme has lead me to the following questions? What am I waiting for? Do I have the faith to wait? Why wait? How do I prolong the wait? How long must I wait? and What happens while I wait? And yes God has began to give me the answers to these questions. Just seems that God is much more patient than I am.
Blessings, Roxie in Louisiana
It's always amazing to me how God uses the waiting periods in my life. As much as I can't stand those times when I'm in them, I always come out on the other end thanking God for them for one reason or another. One thing I learned in my most recent and particularly frustrating period of waiting (which lasted about 18 months until an answer came) was the wonderful gift of my husband and our relationship. Through the waiting, we prayed together in a way we never had before and through that time, our relationship deepened. It's funny what God will teach us when we least expect it...or when we think that the gift He gives us through the wait is something completely different than what He had in mind. And what He had in mind is pretty much always better.
Post a Comment