The hymn writer William F. Lloyd starts one of his beautiful hymns with these words “wait my soul upon the Lord”. That’s a great plea to one’s soul – key to any Christian that must succeed in the Christian race.
The Bible uses the word “wait” exactly one hundred and one times and that is quite a significant number. When one says that he has repeated a thing a hundred and one times, we know what that means. It means that he has repeated it uncountable times. And the word of God says “wait” a hundred and one times which emphasises the importance of patience. We can never be too patient in waiting. When we have been patient and we think it’s enough, we still haven’t waited enough so long as God hasn’t done that which he has promised to do.
This does not mean that our God is a God that keeps promising and when it is time (especially one set by us) for him to fulfil his promise, he simply gives us an excuse and says “wait” again. No! It isn’t so! The call to wait is only to enable us to move with the perfect pace and timing of the Most High. If you move too fast, you will leave your guide behind. If you leave your guide, you will miss your way. When he says wait, he wants you to be safe from the dangers ahead till he has put it all out of the way.
When the traffic light says wait and you say “my journey is still far, I can’t wait,” and so refuse to wait, how far will you get? So is the call of God thus “wait so you can go far”
When a cake in the oven feels it is sweet enough and jumps out of the oven even when the baker knows it is not the right time, all that will result from that is a half baked cake. So also when God tells us to wait, it is to make us better and believe me, when we wait according to God’s command we can’t be burnt. Our waiting will only be a wing with which we soar deeper into his heart and the iron shoes to keep us going on the road that leads to perfection.
Remember what it says in Habakkuk 2:3 “For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.” Everything must happen in its appointed time. For this reason let certainty make us strong in joyful patience and endurance.
Our hymn writer, William F. Lloyd, ends each of the verses of this his hymn with this promise from God “As thy days, thy strength shall be.” God made this promise in Deuteronomy 33:25 to those blessed of the Lord. Christ has told us of what we should possess if we are to be blessed in his Sermon on the Mount found in Matthew 5:3-12. There are several other portions of scriptures that speaks of being blessed or how to be blessed and I needn’t quote them. This promise if for all that are blessed of God: “As thy days, thy strength shall be.”
If your strength is little today, it shall increase with every passing day. By tomorrow, you shall be stronger, and it increases everyday until you are now of great strength. So wait upon the Lord, for in this there is great reward.
By: Moses Ayomikun Oladipupo
Photo by M.Angel Herrero via Flickr
