Waiting...I’m not a big fan. I only get gas at “Pay at the Pump” gas stations because I don’t want to walk in and wait in line to pay. I’ve even driven away from a gas station after discovering it was payless at the pump! I will drive 20 miles (or more) out of my way to avoid sitting in traffic. I just don’t like to wait. But, let’s be honest…neither do you! We microwave our food. We DVR our favorite TV shows. We make phone calls while driving. We use “instant” messaging. We send an email and expect a response in two minutes or less. Remember the days when you had to actually call people in order to set up a meeting…and you actually had to wait until they got home to call you back? Crazy! We don’t like to wait. But here we are as a church…waiting.
I would submit to you that there is absolutely nothing better we could be doing right now than waiting. We’re a church in transition and we need to get this right…I need to get this right. And so we wait. We wait for clarity and a call from God. We are in a “season of prayer” and I hope you are praying for our leaders as they seek wisdom and clarity from God. I would ask that you continue to pray for Janelle and me as we seek clarity in our calling. This isn’t about us. It’s about the Kingdom. We simply desire to be in the very center of God’s will…and not a centimeter to the right or left. So we wait…and we pray…and we listen.
God’s not in a hurry and if our desire is to look more like him, then we shouldn’t be either. The Israelites waited for 40 years before they entered the Promise Land. Jesus waited for 30 years before he began his ministry…and waited 3 plus years before he took up a cross. Paul went to Arabia for 3 years before he actually began his ministry. Jesus told his disciples to wait in Jerusalem for the Holy Spirit to come. God is patient. And as badly as we don’t like to wait, that’s how badly God wants us to learn to be patient and to be still. Faith is stretched in waiting. Trust is realized in stillness.
I appreciate your willingness to wait. As uncomfortable as it is, it’s necessary. Be thankful that you have a leadership who desires to wait, who desires to pray, who desires to seek the heart of God regarding our next Senior Minister, and who desires to hear from God before taking another step. Their patience is a reflection of the God they serve. So, let’s continue to serve together, make ripples in this community, and dream big…while we wait.