Waiting is a daily occurrence in all of our lives. Think about it. We wake up, wait for our shower to get to the right temperature. We wait for the coffee to brew. We wait at stop lights on the way to work. We wait for the microwave to heat up lunch. We wait for our package from Amazon to arrive. We wait for dinner to cook. We spend our lives waiting.
And we spend our lives loathing waiting.
A lot of us spend our days attempting to speed that waiting up. We have timers we can set on our coffee machines so that it can be ready when we are. Or, Starbucks has a feature where we can order ahead and walk in and get it. Packages from Amazon are basically at our door the moment we think about placing an order, or we set up auto-ship, so we don’t run out of the things that are really important. We have Instant-pots and slow cookers to make dinner faster, and we find the fastest routes to and from work to avoid having to sit in traffic. We. Hate. Waiting.
However, throughout the Bible, God calls us to wait. God’s timing is incredibly different than ours (do you really think the entirety of the universe was created in 144 hours?). So, we wait. But we have our version of waiting, and then there’s God’s version of waiting.
Genesis talks about Abram and Sarai who had been promised a son. They waited. Once they felt they had waited long enough, they decided to take matters into their own hands and create a child through Hagar. Through their lack of patience, there has been long-lasting consequences that we are still feeling to this day. But, had they been still…
Stillness is similar to waiting, but it acknowledges the role that God’s will plays in our daily lives. More than once, I have been on my way somewhere and been stopped by something – a red light, a family crossing a street, a random kid with a ball – that I could have chosen to blow through. Later in the same trip, I noticed there was an accident in front of me and I realize that the changing light or the kid who lost their ball was actually God’s protection in a way that seemed like an annoyance. (#SavedByAnnoyance).
I was searching for a job, and God showed me some of the things I was protected from. I applied for a position, but I was too late. The person in that position is now my coworker, and I could NOT have handled her position. (#SavedByLateness).
Be still and know that I Am God. Just trust and know, I Am still God
Stillness is Waiting 2.0. It’s waiting with purpose. It’s waiting with God’s power in the forefront of your mind. It’s waiting through faith. Stillness is waiting without the anxiety of not knowing, because you DO know. God’s promises are never broken. So when we wait with anxiety and wondering, we’re putting into action that we don’t trust God.
Even when we decide that, for a split second, we know more than God, our Father is still faithful to protect us. Israel was enduring the consequences of veering out of God’s will, God was still there, protecting them. Lamentations 3 describes a culture of ailing and weeping people, who still recognize God as omnipotent. The first verse begins with, “I am the one who has seen affliction under the rod of God’s wrath”. However, the chapter takes a turn at verse 21 and talks about God’s faithfulness! We make decisions to step away, but God is always there, willing us to return. To sit in stillness and trust Him completely.
I’m sure I could think of many more things God protected me from by simply saying “wait” and me actually listening. So, why does it continue to be difficult to remain still? Stillness is HARD, but focus on the promise that God has made to you. Focus on the life that God wants you to live. Focus on the truth that God has your back and will protect you from excess hurt, as long as you remain in line with the Will.
– Erin Mieskowski
[Worship Coordinator for En Vivo Church]
For meditation listen to the song below & read the following verses.
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- Be Still by Travis Greene
- Isaiah 40:29 – 31
- Psalm 37:7
- Psalm 46:10
- Proverbs 3:5-6
- 2 Peter 3:9
- Lamentations 3:22-32
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