I have been thinking about this business of waiting for some time now. It is, of course, because I have such heart-felt needs I've been praying about for a very long time. The answer, for now, has come back "wait". It is hard to wait when the needs are pressing.

I have come to understand that there is a purpose in waiting - that it is part of the process God is using to mold and shape my life into the image He has in mind. The Father has explained that to me in one way or another over and over again. In fact, the speaker at Bible Study yesterday spoke about it. She was talking about deliverance. She said that sometimes the Lord brings about visible, immediate, miraculous deliverance, and sometimes it is an invisible deliverance - a time when the Father is doing a work in our hearts. It is a process that begins with complete surrender to His agenda - trusting as we wait to see what He will do.



I often picture myself a bit like Winnie the Pooh sitting on a log muttering "Think, think, think..." when I am trying to work something through in my mind. I learn best when I can find a practical illustration in my mind for what I'm trying to work through. As I was preparing supper last evening, I suddenly got a very practical picture of waiting.

When I am in a hurry to complete something, I tend to look for short-cuts. For instance, if I'm painting something and it requires two or more coats of paint, and I'm in a rush to get it done, I don't wait for the first coat to completely dry before I apply the next one. The result is a mess. Or if I've baked a cake and am in a hurry to put the icing on - if I don't wait until the cake is thoroughly cooled I get icing filled with cake crumbs.

The same is true with children. Their growth is a process. There are steps that cannot be skipped over. A baby can't run - there is a lot of growth that must take place before that can happen. As much as he would love to be able to run and play on his own he simply isn't ready yet. A ten year old can't get a driver's license - even though it is her fondest wish to drive a little red sports car.

That is what this waiting is all about. It isn't a time where I am stuck in a place for a long time getting nowhere; rather it is a time when God is doing things in my life to prepare me for whatever He has planned in answer to my prayer. He is waiting for the optimum time to ice the cake, apply the second coat of paint or let me take the wheel.

I'm sure that most of you have seen all of this clearly a long time ago. I am, like Pooh, a rather slow learner. I have intellectually understood this business of waiting, but suddenly it is just a little clearer. It makes the waiting a bit easier.

Blessings,