One of the great riddles of being human is what to do with all the waiting.
We wait for the seasons to change.
We wait for our hurts to heal.
We wait for our children to grow up… then wait for them to return home.
We’re all waiting for something, and as my favorite rocker, the late Tom Petty, liked to remind us, “The waiting is the hardest part.”
Pay close attention to what’s happening in Luke 19, and you’ll see that while Christ’s followers were celebrating His triumphal entry into Jerusalem, they were waiting too. Verse 11 reveals, “As they were listening to this, he went on to tell a parable because he was near Jerusalem, and they thought the kingdom of God was going to appear right away” (emphasis mine).
The crowds were following Jesus, expecting Him to bring an end to their waiting. They thought He would enter Jerusalem, exile the government that had been oppressing them, and establish the glorious kingdom He’d been telling them about. This is the moment, they must have thought, when all the waiting—for freedom, for peace, for victory—will surely pay off.
But Jesus wasn’t about to stage a coup. He was marching toward the cross. The crowd’s hopes and dreams for the establishment of Christ’s kingdom on earth would have to wait. (At least for the kingdom the way they had expected it).
Fast-forward to today. You’re still waiting too. So am I. We want to see God move in our lives. We want to watch Him come in power and abolish everything that causes us pain. Instead of wringing our hands and pacing the floor, what can we do while we wait?
“The whole crowd of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the miracles they had seen” (v.37). Though at this point the crowds still assumed Jesus was going to lead a military victory, they were right to rejoice over what they had already seen in anticipation of what was still to come.
The greatest indicator of what Christ will do is what He has already done. In every season of waiting we can join with the “multitude” of saints in declaring the victories He’s already given. The disciples had no way of knowing they were watching a preview of a future celebration of Christ’s triumph, when He will one day return in glory:
“Then I saw heaven opened, and there was a white horse. Its rider is called Faithful and True, and he judges and makes war with justice… The armies that were in heaven followed him on white horses, wearing pure white linen… And he has a name written on his robe and on his thigh: King of Kings and Lord of Lords (Revelation 19:11,14,16).
Celebrate every promise you’ve seen Him fulfill, every victory He’s ever secured, every blessing He’s every poured out. They are the down payment for the moment when all of our longings will be fulfilled. May we worship while we wait.
Erin Davis is an author, blogger, and speaker who loves to see women of all ages run to the deep well of God’s Word. When she’s not writing, you can find Erin chasing chickens and children on her small farm in the Midwest.
Waiting is hard. Waiting for a job change. Waiting to not be sick. Waiting for a family. Or waiting for peace about not having a family. But I can’t get so caught up in waiting that I’m not faithful with today. The James passage says we have no guarantee of what the next day holds. We may be waiting for something that never materializes. God calls me to obedience and faith today. With what He has given me today.
I’m so thankful to my LORD for bringing me this far. I’m done things I never thought I could. I’ve been to places I never thought it would be. I’ve even driven to places that this middle-age woman never thought she could do it by herself with her kids. To some that might not be a big deal but to me it was a big accomplishment. It’s all God. My once down cast face it’s now filled with joy. Do I have it all together? Is it all complete? OF Course not, but I rejoice in my Lord Jesus that it is HE giving me the strength to do what I do. I cannot, I will not do life without my Jesus. He is my strength. He is my all. Sometimes the results may not be what I thought they would be and sometimes that I may not even like them but I know that HE is in control and HE has my back.
He’s in the waiting..
Oh Holy Spirit help remember this.
He is faithful and true!
Thank you, Tina, for this. May you be blessed also.
I don’t much mind waiting. I don’t get upset usually when queues are long or traffic is slow. If the doctor is running behind, the delay gives me another page or chapter to read in my book. Am I remarkably patient? No. I’ve just learned over the years to be prepared that not everyone or everything runs on time, that flexibility is a quality worth developing. Of course it is easier to wait when the circumstances are not so critical, not totally unexpected. God repeatedly tells His people to learn to wait on Him and His timing and to do things His way. I read His promises every day to remind myself that He is trustworthy and that He works all things out. That’s not living with a fateful resignation but with a confident hope. Is that not what faith is? That doesn’t mean that waiting is easy. It’s often hard and yes, frustrating. But we know what a good Father we have and that He has the final Word for all things.
Well said Tina.
I love the featured verse in the picture today “If they were to keep silent the stones would cry out.” It reminds me of a line from So Will I “if the rocks cry out in silence, so will I.” Jesus evokes praise. Creation can’t help but sing about his worthiness and majesty, all day long, day in and day out because that is what creation was made to do. I heard this verse in the song and started thinking about what it means that the rocks cry out in silence. It doesn’t look like they are doing anything but sitting there, but… down at the atomic level, even in a solid, the atoms are moving, constantly vibrating, never still for a moment, singing out his praises because he is too great for them to stay still. Even though it may seem impossible that something like a rock could be praising God, down at their deepest core, their most fundamental part, they cannot be still for the wonder of their creator. Jesus will always get the praise, worship, and glory. The question we have to ask ourselves is, to what extent will we be a part of the grand celebration?
Waiting… how long have you got.. ???
I have been waiting since I was a little girl… for my daddy to come home from work.. for my mummy to come see me sometime..
For my school term to end.. for holidays to come.. for my daughter to arrive.. for a safe place for my child and I to go.. for life to change for the better for us.. for a liver to come to give my daughter hope of a life without pain.. for God to hear my prayers to save her…
I have been waiting for a zillion times and things..
But God…
He, though I waited, was already making plans, His plans, His will to be done…
I waited. He answered sometimes in ways I could never imagine.. sometimes at times I had almost given up.. sometimes when I was so low I could actually not see His gift of answered prayer…
I’m the early days of my walk with the Lord, I like the followers of old, thought in my walking with Him, the troubles, the pain, the struggles would stop, or at least not be as harsh.. I have learnt that that is NOT the way to think.. that is NOT the way it works.. and for sure NOT what the relationship I have with God works… Thank God!!!
But God…
He has gently moulded me on His bench..(still a work in progress) and where once I was blind and not understanding my role in our relationship, I now see that through Jesus’s gift.. His triumphal journey to and on the cross, His death and resurrection, I have a much better relationship and understanding than the flippant novice I was at the start of this awesome journey of grace love and hope… forgiveness and mercy.. I am not where I need to be, but thank God, i am not where i used to be..
Thank you Jesus.. Thank you.. Jesus, for everything..
Blessings sisters… every blessing for a great and God blessed weekend..