Kingdom Building
October 1, 2019
Scripture Reading: Lamentations 1:1-6, 3:19-26
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases,
his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
‘The Lord is my portion,’ says my soul,
‘therefore I will hope in him.’
The Lord is good to those who wait for him,
to the soul that seeks him.
It is good that one should wait quietly
for the salvation of the Lord. –Lamentations 1:25-26
Waiting on the Lord suggests the quality of patience. Indeed, most of us value the patience of a parent helping a child first learn to tie his or her shoes. The patience of the athlete repeating the same move until it becomes muscle memory as needed for catch and shoot in basketball. And the patience of a Christ follower who walks with someone no matter what, for example, as they climb out of addiction sometimes taking two steps back before inching forward again.
Patience is not one of my greatest attributes. I tend to prefer Jesus’ advice in Luke 19:40,
‘I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out.’ I will admit that we do not know if better results would have occurred if the stones had cried out. Such an event would have gotten my attention. Perhaps Jesus is telling us that there is a difference between patience and procrastination or patience and ennui–emptiness of spirit.
The idea of waiting seems to convey a length of time. Waiting on the Lord simply relates to maintaining a close relationship with God seeking guidance for our lives that may indeed take time to unfold but could also be in the blink of an eye.
Active waiting for guidance from the Lord implies preparing for whatever may come next. I have my tornado ritual which involved having a flashlight at hand, sturdy shoes available, important papers safely stored, my weather radio handy, and my safe place identified. Waiting on the Lord might include practicing spiritual disciples and particularly in times when all are uneasy loving our neighbors as we love ourselves in all instances without exception even when the situation regarding waiting for the Lord involves other with a different point of view than ours.
Prayer: Grant us the gift of patience when we need it and the gift of fullness of spirit always . Amen.
All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.