Waiting

"But you, dear friends,

by building yourselves up in your most holy faith

and praying in the Holy Spirit,

keep yourselves in God's love

 as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ

to bring you to eternal life."

Jude 20-21

"I'm sorry ma'am, your flight's been cancelled.  I don't have another one going out until tonight at 11 pm."  I looked at my watch.  It was 10 a.m.  I had spent a couple of weeks helping my dad while he was in the hospital recovering from a horrible motorcycle accident which cost him his leg.  Once he was settled into the assisted living facility where he would learn to adapt to his new circumstances, my sister and I went back home to our families;  except my trip would be delayed by a 13-hour layover.

I despise waiting.  It's the unproductive nature of killing time that bothers me and I would rather get right to the activity with no delay.  Unfortunately, life is filled with times of interruptions and hold ups.  In fact, I could look at my whole life as a waiting period, anticipating the time when Jesus will usher me into my eternal home.  Should I just sit around twiddling my thumbs while I wait, or is there something specific I should be doing?

Build Up

The pile of leaves shrunk as the weeks went by.  Stirring it with a rake, I brought the foliage from the bottom of the pile to the top.  Wet, darkened and matted-together clumps appeared almost unrecognizable as the large maple leaves I first placed in a heap at the back of my yard.  I could see the process of decomposition taking place before my eyes.  The once green leaves were being broken down into compost that could later be added to my garden.  

Everything God created moves toward a state of decay.  As a homeowner, I see this principle first-hand in my need to repaint, repair and restore.  Appliances depreciate in their value and breakdown, fences fall apart, and flooring wears out.  

In the same way, my faith naturally fades away if I leave it to it's own devices.  Without any application of effort, attention or exertion, my belief in God falls by the wayside.  It is very easy to get distracted while I wait for my eternal reward and start living for myself instead of to please God.  Just as regular maintenance is important to keeping a home functioning, so I must make a conscious effort to preserve and even grow my faith in God.  (Colossians 2:6-7)

While I am waiting for Jesus to take me home I must focus on developing my faith by striving to follow Him in every facet of my life.

Pray

The call to prayer rang out five times per day drawing the devout to prostate themselves before their god.  Their dedication to this pillar of their faith was clear as men and women loyally devoted time to cleanse themselves, speak the words to glorify their god, recite the Qur'an, bless the Prophet Mohammad and each other while performing specific postures.  Clearly, this ritual is an important part of the Muslim faith.

While followers of Islam use prayer as a kind of custom and routine to help keep their minds on Allah, God expects a different kind of prayer from His people.  Followers of Christ have been given the power of the Holy Spirit to dwell within us.  Instead of simply speaking the right words, the Lord desires my prayers to be personal, driven by an expectation of their effectiveness, and directed by the indwelling Spirit of God.

In the place of a cold, meaningless ritual, then, prayer for a believer is a powerful act that brings about change.  (James 5:16)  It is a weapon to be wielded in the spiritual realm (Ephesians 6:18), and it is a living and active connection to my loving Father in heaven (Zechariah 13:9).

While I am waiting for Jesus to take me home, I must focus on praying in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Keep

While I lived in a foreign country while my husband served in the army there, I was very sensitive to my behavior, making sure I was leaving a good impression of America to those who were watching me.  I thought twice before running a light that was about to turn red, or giving a driver who cut me off a dirty look, or complaining if I didn't like the service in a restaurant:  I didn't want to give my home country a bad name.

As an ambassador for Christ, I have a similar calling as one who is temporarily living in a land that is not my true home.  While I'm here in the world, it is important that I keep in God's love instead of adapting to the worldly ways I'm exposed to or letting my relationship with God become merely a religion. (Titus 2:12-14)  

All of the things I tend to put my time, talent and efforts into will burn in the end; only that which is of kingdom value will remain. (2 Peter 3:11-12)  Why, then, should I invest so much into acquiring material wealth, gaining worldly success, or improving my status?

Instead, it is important that I remember that everything done in the love of God will remain standing in the end; the respectful way I treat all people regardless of position, circumstance or appearance, or my dedication to performing even the most menial tasks to the best of my ability in order to make God look good, or my silent prayers for those who come after me with the intent to bring me down.  

While I am waiting for Jesus to take me home, I must focus on keeping in the love of God.

Twiddling my thumbs while waiting for my doctor's appointment may not be my idea of a good time, but I could look at my whole life as a period of waiting.  While I look forward to the day when I join Jesus in my eternal home, I have a job to do while here.  Part of that calling is to cultivate a strong faith in Christ, pray powerfully in the Spirit of God, and avoid religion and instead remain in God's love.  This is the kind of waiting that is meaningful and purposeful!

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can remember my purpose as I wait for my reward.

When do I grin and bear it through this life instead of fully experiencing the love God has for me?

How do my prayers turn ritualistic instead of deep and meaningful?