Our soul waits for the Lord;
He is our help and our shield.
For our heart shall rejoice in Him,
Because we have trusted in His holy name.
Let Your mercy, O Lord, be upon us,
Just as we hope in You.

~Psalm 33:20-22

Wait……wait……wait……wait……wait…..Sitting outside of a coffee shop on a bench in downtown Longmont I hear the crosswalk say “wait” over and over again in a robotic voice.  It is designed to assist the visually impaired who perhaps cannot see when the little walking man will glow and indicate the time for crossing the street. 

Wait…..wait……wait……

As Christians we spend a lot of time waiting on God.  We pray our prayers until we can pray no more and then we wait……wait……wait……

I don’t like the waiting period very much even though I really should be used to it by now.  But once I’ve pushed that crosswalk button, effectively putting in my request, I wait……wait……wait……

These moments, or even seasons, of waiting are opportunities.  They are opportunities to worry.  I don’t have an answer yet, did God hear me?  Does He even care about this? 

They are opportunities for faith to waver.  I know God can…but will He actually show up and take care of this situation?

They are opportunities for whining.  This just isn’t going how I wanted it to go.  I’m so disappointed right now that my plans are getting ruined.

But these are terrible options!  In the waiting we can become vulnerable to these predatory W’s.  But what if God gave us another way to get through the times of waiting?  A way that both honors Him and protects our hearts?

I recently drove across the country from North Carolina to Colorado.  Although I was busy driving, I had hours upon hours of waiting time.  The driving was productive in itself, because it was getting me where I needed to go.  However, I felt idle because I could not accomplish much else.  So I prayed a lot at first.  Eventually, however, I was tapped out.  Reiterating the same requests over and over again seemed pointless—God definitely knew what I was praying for.  It was in these times, when I just couldn’t even bring myself to pray anymore, that I found myself at a crossroads of what to occupy my mental time with.  One option was to daydream about possibilities, another was to plan for certainties, but the third was to turn on some worship music and begin praising God for who He is and what He is going to do.  I am so thankful that I had stocked the van with worship CD’s! 

I discovered that God gave us the gift of worship—not the other way around.  Worrying, Wavering, and Whining during the Waiting puts our focus onto ourselves and weakens us.  Worship gives us a way to wait with dignity and confidence.  Worship reminds us of who God is and why our hope is in Him.  Worship causes the enemy to lose footholds.  Worship allows us to celebrate victory even before we see it.

It’s not always easy to get started—it can be difficult to muster the courage to worship in the midst of disappointment.  However, sometimes you’ve got to start and your feelings will eventually catch up. 

*When you’ve given God a deadline and you are disappointed when He doesn’t meet it…praise Him for His perfect timing.

*When you have prayed very specifically, and full of faith, that God will move a mountain for you—but He hasn’t yet…praise Him for the intricacies of His plans.

*When you’ve made the same request over and over again, but still no resolution from God…praise Him for the depths of His understanding.

*When you have desperately prayed but it looks like the Enemy is winning…praise God for His redeeming victory.

Wait……wait……wait……that robot voice gets annoying after a while.  But when we remind ourselves that since our spiritual eyes have limited sight, the waiting is a blessing of protection.  Waiting when we are told to wait will result in the best outcome.  And worshipping while waiting will help us develop patient faith without the distraction of those pesky other W’s. 

Great is the Lord, by Michael W Smith

Great is the Lord

He is holy and just

By His power we trust

In His love

Great is the Lord

He is faithful and true

By His mercy He proves

He is love

Great is the Lord

And worthy of glory

Great is the Lord

And worthy of praise

Great is the Lord

Now lift up your voice

Now lift up your voice

Great is the Lord

Great is the Lord

Great is the Lord,

He is holy and just

By His power we trust

In His love

Great is the Lord

He is faithful, and true

By His mercy He proves

He is love

Great is the Lord

And worthy of glory

Great is the Lord

And worthy of praise

Great is the Lord

Now lift up your voice

Now lift up your voice

Great is the Lord

Great is the Lord

Great are you Lord

And worthy of glory

Great are you Lord

And worthy of praise

Great are you Lord

I lift up my voice

I lift up my voice

Great are you Lord

Great are you Lord