waiting

Growing Wiser While You Wait Part 1

Why another blog post about waiting, and why is it that we have to spend so much of our lives waiting? All I can say is that waiting seems to be a normal part of life for everyone. “Hurry up and wait” is a common expression in the army, and that is how I sometimes feel when I prepare for some big event, and then it doesn’t happen as I expected. For example, the family was ready and waiting for my first grandchild to be born. However, he arrived fifteen days after his due date. Another good example of having to wait occurred recently after preparing for a big event that has been canceled and rescheduled four times due to the coronavirus. This can be very frustrating for some people, and I happen to be one of them. I am reminded regularly that life is not always predictable, and that we have no control over some circumstances in life.

During this unique and unpredictable time while we are waiting for more businesses to open, and for our churches to begin holding services in their buildings once again, I want to share some great reading and movie ideas with you. In this post, some of you may be introduced for the first time to these ministries where you can get free materials or purchase materials that you are interested in (links to their websites will be included). If you are already familiar with these organizations and receiving materials from any of them, I’m sure you will be able to find other great materials listed on their websites.

Voice of the Martyrs (founded be the Romanian couple, Richard and Sabina Wurmbrand), and Open Doors (found by Brother Andrew), are ministries to the persecuted church around the world. They encourage and minister spiritually, emotionally, and physically to those who are being persecuted, and they inform us of things that are not often mentioned in the news.They also give us information and ideas that can help us pray more effectively for those believers. Hebrews 13:3 says that we are to “remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body.”

Recently, Iran Alive has become one of my favorite ministries. Dr. Hormoz Shariat has a television ministry that reaches out to the Muslims in Iran and in other countries in the Middle East. Through reading materials from this ministry, I have really grown to love and respect the Iranian believers. The church (body of believers in Christ) in Iran is one of the fastest growing churches in the world. In countries where Christians are persecuted the most, the church seems to be “alive” and stronger in the Lord.

Fouad Masri, a Lebanese-American Christian, started Crescent Project. He has a real heart for the Muslim immigrants in our country. This organization has great resources and ideas on how to reach your Muslim neighbors for the Lord. Most Muslims, even those living here in the USA, have never heard the truth about who Jesus is, nor of His awesome love, mercy, and grace for all people.

Answers in Genesis (started by Ken Ham) and the Institute for Creation Research (founded by Henry Morris, Sr.) have current and newsworthy topics that are related to Creation Science and apologetics. Scientists from every major field of Science who are believers in Jesus Christ, have produced great science resources. Advances in technology have shown how incredibly complex science really is, and have caused serious problems for the evolutionists. Both of these ministries also have museums (Creation Museum, Ark Encounter, ICR Discovery Center) that make science and the Bible come alive, and have faith-building materials for all ages.

It’s so easy to waste your time on things like Facebook, Twitter, video games, movies, television programs, and the like that have very little value. Instead, grow wiser by getting to know the Lord better by reading more of His Word daily, and find other resources that will eternally benefit you and your family. In Ephesians 5, we are told to “redeem the time for the days are evil”. When we look around us and hear current news, we can see that we are getting closer to the “end of the end times”, so let’s all find godly things to do with our time while we wait.

Encouragement While You Wait

What comes to your mind when I mention waiting? For me, I think of the many times in my life when I had no choice but to wait. For example, as a child I would get so excited waiting for a holiday (like Christmas morning, thinking that it would never come), or waiting for a special event coming up (like our Thanksgiving family reunion). I would keep checking the calendar, or when I was very young, I would keep asking my mother how many more days I would have to wait.

Of course, there are so many things that we must wait for in life. We must wait to get over an illness, for the healing of a broken bone, for the healing of a relationship, for a wayward child to come home, and for the birth of a baby.

School children often wait for summer vacation, but then, others can’t wait for the new school year to begin. Some people have a hard time waiting for their high school or college graduation, so they can get a job or get married.

There are many, many times that we must wait whether we like it or not: while standing in line to pay for something, while on hold on the phone, while in a traffic jam, while at the doctor’s or dentist’s office, and while at the airport. We also wait for winter to end, for a pay check,  for something we ordered to arrive in the mail, for the release of a new book or movie, and many young people eagerly await the day when they can get their license to drive.

It’s also worth mentioning all the times we should have waited, but didn’t, and some of the difficult situations and consequences that result from not waiting. Perhaps you ended up in an abusive marriage or an ugly divorce, because you were in too big of a hurry to get married. Or, because you didn’t keep yourself pure before marriage, you ended up alone and pregnant, and had to quit school and go to work to support a child. We can see there are many reasons that we must or should wait patiently in life.

The following are some Scriptures to encourage you while you wait:

  • Psalm 40:1-I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.
  • Psalm 27:14- Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.
  • Psalm 37:7-Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him
  • Isaiah 40:31-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 49:23-thou shalt know that I am the Lord: for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me.
  • Proverbs 20:22-Do not say, “I will [a]recompense evil”;
    Wait for the Lord, and He will save you.
  • Romans 8:19, 23- For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.
  • Hebrews 9:28-To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.

My favorite word in the Spanish language is “esperanza”. This word has two different meanings. One is “hope” and the other one is “to wait for”. It was so interesting to me when I learned the meaning of this word, because it reminds me of the hope that we have in Christ Jesus. Because of this hope, we are not only waiting for His return, but we can also wait on Him to answer our prayers as we pour out our hearts to Him.