Nasty four letter word

Wait.

Seems so bad sometimes to just wait.

We want everything now. We move at such a fast pace that we don't have time to wait--to wait in lines, to wait on God, to wait for His blessings.

Romance seems to be an area in which this four letter word is virtually unknown. We don't wait patiently for us to meet the right person. We don't wait to enjoy certain benefits of marriage-but rather hop into bed with the first [willing, attractive, &tc.] person we come across.

But what if we aren't called to be searching for our next lover? Should we not just be busy doing our duties as Isaac and Rebekah did? Should we not trust that our Maker is also our Matchmaker?

Arranged marriage seems so bad to us. . .but I think Jewish ladies must have had it nice. They knew someone was working on their behalf to bring them a spouse that they would learn to love. Note the use of the word 'learn.' They didn't believe in love at first sight as a determining factor for their companion!

I'll be frank. I want romance. I'm tired of waiting. hello, my biological clock is ticking!!! jk, I'm still a little young for that. I want to think I'm ready to give myself to another person and to love him daily. But then I wonder, maybe I'm not ready. Would I become bitter and feel obligated to serve instead of being a joyful servant? Could I care for a man, much less kids?

I wonder why God hasn't told me who I will marry, or when, or even if I will


. . .

but maybe there is good reason for that

Wait
by Russell Kelfer


Desperately, helplessly, longingly, I cried;
Quietly, patiently, lovingly, God replied.
I plead and I wept for a clue to my fate . . .
And the Master so gently said, "Wait."

"Wait? you say wait?" my indignant reply.
"Lord, I need answers, I need to know why!
Is your hand shortened? Or have you not heard?
By faith I have asked, and I'm claiming your Word.

"My future and all to which I relate
Hangs in the balance, and you tell me to wait?
I'm needing a 'yes', a go-ahead sign,
Or even a 'no' to which I can resign.

"You promised, dear Lord, that if we believe,
We need but to ask, and we shall receive.
And Lord I've been asking, and this is my cry:
I'm weary of asking! I need a reply."

Then quietly, softly, I learned of my fate,
As my Master replied again, "Wait."
So I slumped in my chair, defeated and taut,
And grumbled to God, "So, I'm waiting for what?"

He seemed then to kneel, and His eyes met with mine . . .
and He tenderly said, "I could give you a sign.
I could shake the heavens and darken the sun.
I could raise the dead and cause mountains to run.

"I could give all you seek and pleased you would be.
You'd have what you want, but you wouldn't know Me.
You'd not know the depth of my love for each saint.
You'd not know the power that I give to the faint.

"You'd not learn to see through clouds of despair;
You'd not learn to trust just by knowing I'm there.
You'd not know the joy of resting in Me
When darkness and silence are all you can see.

"You'd never experience the fullness of love
When the peace of My spirit descends like a dove.
You would know that I give, and I save, for a start,
But you'd not know the depth of the beat of My heart.

"The glow of my comfort late into the night,
The faith that I give when you walk without sight.
The depth that's beyond getting just what you ask
From an infinite God who makes what you have last.

"You'd never know, should your pain quickly flee,
What it means that My grace is sufficient for thee.
Yes, your dearest dreams overnight would come true,
But, oh, the loss, if you missed what I'm doing in you.

"So, be silent, my child, and in time you will see
That the greatest of gifts is to truly know me.
And though oft My answers seem terribly late,
My most precious answer of all is still . . . Wait."