Wait. Did You Just Say Wait?

 

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"I stopped understanding math when the alphabet started getting involved." ~ anonymous

∞ Who remembers what Pythagorean Theorem is?   Either you are right now beaming with pride because you can picture a right triangle in your head and the equation or your stomach is churning.  

Or how to find the equation of a line? Maybe your 8th grade math teacher's voice haunts you until you cough up y=mx + b.  (And hopefully you remember the song and the dance that accompanies it.)  Aaahhh, to reminisce about the beautiful things in life.  

∞ I know for about half of the world algebra equations cause extreme anxiety, but the beauty of math is, if you understand when, where & why those equations fit in, you just need to apply them and bada bing- problem solved.  

You know I'm about to link algebra with the real world now, right?  25 years of teaching math and there are so many!  Here it is: How easy would life be if we just needed to find the right equation, and use it and our struggles would be over?  Though God shows repeatedly through nature and His order of it that He is The Great Mathematician, our relationship with Him isn't cut and dried like math.

Controlling our life situations Is one of the hardest things we refrain from doing, isn't it?  We are women - aka problem solvers, action-takers, conflict resolvers.  Waiting does not come easy to us.  It's in our blood (or at least our head).  We were told from a young age that we could do anything we put our mind to and not to take 'no' for an answer.  

While that may be true, as followers of Christ we know that when we relinquish control to Him, then it always turns out for our best.  So how do we submit to His control and resist the urge to handle everything on our own?

∞ WAIT.

Wait as we pray directly to God about our struggles.  Wait for direction - examine His Word to see if He has spoken on it.  Turn the noise/distractions off & trust the God of the universe bending His ear down to hear your requests as you ask Him for wisdom.    

 ∞ The other day I heard a radio pastor talk about Noah (who I would call the 'king of waiting').  So I went to Genesis 6 to explore more.  

• Noah was 500 years old when God told him to build an ark.  'Noah walked faithfully with God' so he knew & trusted God's voice already, and obeyed.
• It took Noah 7 days to load all those animals on the boat.  
• Noah was 600 when the rain started.  So we have to assume he took the good part of a year to build the ark.  
• It rained for 40 days & the waters flooded for 150 days.
• Noah waited 2 and a 1/2 months more as the waters receded.
• After another 40 days Noah released a raven and a dove but they couldn't land.
• After another 7 days Noah released the dove again.
• After another 7 days Noah released the dove again, & it returned with an olive branch.
• After another 7 days, the dove was released but it didn't come back.
• Noah waited another two months til the land was dry.

∞ Sometimes I don't have the patience to wait until my microwave popcorn is all the way popped.  

Don't wait like you did in math class - not making eye contact with the teacher, saying "I don't know", or pretending you didn't hear the question (which you probably didn't because you were talking or thinking about what you-know-who just said in the hall). 

 ∞ If you or a friend is facing a challenge, join forces in searching the Scriptures for guidance.  Ask God for wisdom, and thank Him for listening.  That is the equation to apply.  He is faithful to hear and respond in His perfect timing, not ours.  

David waited for God to remove Saul from the kingdom, though he had a few chances to hasten it.  He honored God by letting Him be in control, and God used that time to prepare David for being king.  God used the waiting time for our best, as our Savior came from David's lineage .

∞ We can rest assured that if we ask Him what He wants us to learn from our situation, and how He wants us to respond, the Holy Spirit will unveil that wisdom.  He doesn't just put us in a holding pattern when we wait on Him - He gives us new strength and energy:

    

"But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint." 

Isaiah 40:31

"The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him." Lam 3:25

We just celebrated Palm Sunday, the day Jesus triumphantly arrived in Jerusalem.  He knew what was facing Him, yet joyfully chose to wait and carry out the redemption plan for you and me.  Jesus used the waiting time for our best.

∞ Algebra isn't hard.  Waiting is sometimes hard and requires self discipline from the Holy Spirit.

✙    Dear Lord, You know how hard it is for us to wait-please forgive us for that sin of wanting to control things ourselves.  We know You make all things work together for our good; we are not capable of Your thoughts.  Thank You for that.  Please grant us self-discipline to ask of You when we want control.  Amen.