Waiting or waiting to work?

Ever since I mentioned yesterday in the blog about waiting on the Lord, that little phrase has been really stewing in my mind. It seems easy to understand. It should mean simply that I have to be patient and not try to work on my own clock but on God's. It should mean simply that God has a plan and a timetable and as long as I'm willing to wait and then act when He calls me, it will work out.

But I wondered if there is more to it, with me at least. The first thing I usually do when faced with this kind of question is look up the word in the dictionary.

By nature, I'm a pretty impatient person. I hate being late and I don't tolerate it from others. Supposedly, it's a family trait, but with me it's almost an obsession to be early to everything and it may even be a fear of being late. So when I think of waiting, I think of being told I can't do something or that I can't go somewhere. Or maybe I'm ready to go somewhere and the person that's going with me isn't ready to go. I'm waiting. One of the definitions, actually the first one that appears on dictionary.com is "to remain inactive or in a state of repose, as until something expected happens."

After I read that, it hit me. I had read several verses from the Bible and didn't fully get it until I read that definition. One word popped out at me. Inactive. That's usually what we relate to waiting and that's what didn't sit well with me when ever I read "wait on the Lord."

Being inactive and waiting should not go hand in hand. I kept quoting Psalms 130:5, you know the verse from the Jeremy Camp song. But I forgot to keep reading to verse six. "6 My soul waits for the Lord
More than those who watch for the morning—
Yes, more than those who watch for the morning. "

Those who are watching for the morning are like the the virgins and their lamps from Matthew. This whole time I've been waiting for a new place to go to church and some way to get involved with something and that was the wrong way to go about it. I'm not saying that God can't speak to me and tell me what to do or where to go, but what I'm saying is that He won't unless I'm ready to act. I'm pretty sure I'm not ready to act.

The definition I like for the word "wait" is "to be available or in readiness." It's like an army lying in wait, ready to strike at the general's command. In other words, waiting is not sitting on my butt and wondering when the flashing sign will appear, but it's being diligent and continuing to do God's work--the things I know I can do--while waiting for a direction from Him.

The Proverbs tell us that "The sluggard craves and gets nothing, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied." But it also says "The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty." Maybe what Solomon was saying is that you have to be self-motivated and work hard but don't work hard for the wrong reasons or push ahead quickly for personal gain. If I'm truly waiting on the Lord, I'm going to be in that state of readiness, ready to spring into action whenever He calls me. It's just like working out on the treadmill. It's best to stretch out, walk a bit and then work your way up to a sprint when you're ready. God knows when I'll be ready to sprint, but I've got to start walking first.