I don’t know about you, but it really bothers me to have to wait beyond a reasonable time for an appointment that I scheduled, sometimes months in advance. Also, waiting for someone to show up for lunch or dinner at your house or a restaurant 30 minutes late does not impress me, especially when it happens over and over by the same individual and usually with no explanation or courtesy call. Waiting — something that some of us do better than others. I am an “A” personality, so I may qualify for the least patient person of all.

Am I just venting my feelings and hoping someone will identify with or have sympathy? No, not at all, but I probably got your attention. I am currently reading an excellent book by Jack Taylor called “Cosmic Initiative.” The Rev. Taylor has some tremendous insights to help us understand the Kingdom of God better. I want to quote him because he has spoken some things to me from his own lengthy journey as a believer that I think could benefit all of us. Saved as a young man, he is now in his later 80s but still on fire and encouraging others to pursue the Lord with all of our hearts. So he is speaking from many years of experience and walking a victorious life in Christ.

In his chapter on The Keys of the Kingdom (Matthew 16:18), he gives us a fairly long list of keys that we can use to operate in God’s Kingdom here on earth (present time). Because so many of us have been only taught that the Kingdom of God is for some future date (the Millennial reign of Christ), we do not have a present day Kingdom mindset. 

Keys unlock doors and they represent ownership and authority. They “symbolize power, especially the capacity to generate change.” (pg.113) He also stated “keys speak of promotion …  when God is ready to grant one of His children a promotion, He generally presents them with a problem that is locked away from their normal ability to understand, and that will serve to open other spiritual mysteries in the future … He will persist until that person begins to search for the answer.”(pg.115) He reminds us that “We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, those who are called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28)

One of the keys that he mentions (45 positive and four that he identifies as hidden or perceived as negative) is waiting. Waiting is one of those four very powerful keys we might see only in a negative way. 

When we realize God’s ultimate intention is to use these waiting periods to take us deeper into the revelation and knowledge of the Kingdom of God, then we can learn to wait better. He then quotes three scriptures from the book of Isaiah. “Blessed are all who wait for Him.” (Isa.30:18NIV) “God … acts on behalf of those who wait for Him.” (Isa.64:4NIV) Lastly, he quotes a familiar passage that gives us great encouragement for continuing to run the race with patience. “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.” (Isa.40:31KJV) (pg.124)

Even though the examples I gave at the beginning are not in the same category as waiting on the Lord to answer prayer, the principle is the same. (I have not acted too Christ-like in some of those situations in the past). When we are patient, when we can trust the Lord that He has our best interests in mind, we can come into a place of rest as Isaiah implies. Sometimes we just cannot see the bigger picture and that certain other things need to line up before that which you are waiting for can come to pass.

I have gotten impatient with the Lord when I have petitioned Him about something. Because of my impatience, things that God really wanted to do were delayed even more and sadly sometimes even aborted. Sometimes I have made a hasty decision due to my lack of being willing to wait upon the Lord and missed Him altogether (as far as His best was concerned). What He ultimately meant to be a blessing in my life and perhaps the lives of others never comes to fruition. When we really believe and act upon those three scriptures quoted above, we will be “blessed,” God will intervene (“He acts on our behalf”) and then we will have our strength renewed and be able to run our race to the end without getting weary or fainting. 

Sounds like a good plan to me. I am hoping to grow in this area through the various trials I personally am going through. What about you?