Thinking Like a Christian

pastor peteA series of Scripture meditations on what the Bible teaches about the Christian life.

by Pastor Pete Beck III

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The Test of Waiting

 

When the people saw that Moses delayed in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said to him, “Get up, make us gods that will go before us. As for this 1 When the people saw that Moses delayed in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said to him, “Get up, make us gods that will go before us. As for this fellow Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him!” Exodus 32:1 (NET1)

 

The Bible makes it clear that God puts people through various tests and trials. He does this to place the fear of God in us and to teach us to rely on Him in all things. He also tests us to reveal where we are in our development as a disciple. What is the most difficult test from God? In many cases, it is the test of waiting. Why is this?

 

Waiting for God to speak or act in a given situation tests our ability to trust in God instead of relying on what we can do for ourselves. God deliberately places us in situations that reveal what is in our hearts. When Israel departed from Egypt, God led them to the Red Sea in order to embolden the Egyptian army to attack them. God's end game was to deliver Israel and destroy the Egyptians in order to bring honor and glory to his name; but, the temptation to abandon hope and cave to fear nearly engulfed the people. Had it not been for Moses' faith and obedience, all would have been lost, most likely.

 

When God called Moses to the top of Mt. Sinai, the Israelites once again abandoned hope because of the long delay. This time they fashioned an idol to worship. Think how ridiculous it was to make a golden calf and then proclaim that it was the one who delivered them! Yet we often do the same sort of thing by relying on what we can do to deliver ourselves instead of trusting in God.

 

When Saul was instructed to wait for Samuel before going into battle against the gathering army of the Philistines, he failed the test. He panicked as he watched the enemy grow stronger and his own army diminish each day. Instead of obeying God, he decided to take matters into his own hands. The result was that he disobeyed God and lost his place of leadership. So how does all this apply to our situation today?

 

As a church, we have been waiting on God for clear direction for over a year now. We have done what we believe He has instructed us to do (e.g. Mobile Ministry). We have done our best not to concoct our own plans and do our own thing. God has given us some clear direction in some areas and made us wait patiently in others. I believe the Lord has recently revealed the next step in his plan for us. The leadership team is talking about it now, to try to determine for sure whether it is from God. Let's continue to trust the Lord to tell us what we need to know each step along the way. He will not disappoint us. That much we know!

 

Indeed, none of those who wait for You will be ashamed; Those who deal treacherously without cause will be ashamed.

Psalms 25:3 (NASB)

 

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