11 26 07 Waiting is not Wasting

“…as we wait for the happy fulfillment of our hope in the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.” (Titus 2:13 NET)

I was reading from an article on Bible.org this morning concerning waiting on the Lord. As I researched, I found many, many scriptural references to those who were patient enough to wait upon the Lord, not quickly taking things into their own hands or according to their own abilities. This is still something I am working on, but I would like to think I am getting better at (you’ll have to ask my wife!). WAITING IS NOT WASTING time, but time that can be spent in prayer and intimate fellowship with Christ.

The Expectation of the Blessed Hope
“…as we wait for the happy fulfillment of our hope in the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.”
Having mentioned this present and temporary age, the apostle quickly moved to the age to come that will be ushered in with the glorious appearing of the Savior. This is to be another strong motivation to godly living, a fact that is even more obvious in the Greek text. “As we wait” represents the translation of another adverbial participle that is dependent on the previous verb, “that we should live.” We could easily translate it, “we should live … by waiting expectantly for the happy fulfillment of our hope (literally, the blessed hope)…” The participle points us to one of the means by which we are to live in this present age, by living with a view to the return of Christ. Waiting for the blessed hope provides added incentives that enable us to live godly lives in this present age.

The object we are to wait for is described as “the happy fulfillment of our hope in the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ” or literally, “the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.”1

I must admit to you and seek your prayers for me in this regard. As I grow a missionary, I still find myself trying to “provide” by my own means. It is a struggle to “wait” upon the Lord, since I am still quite used to working overtime, or using lay-away to make it through the Holydays. There is no overtime pay or a promise that the funds will be there when the lay-away is due, so I must wait. I often say, “If God does not want us to have, we can’t have it!” Simple, but still quite a challenge to me to grasp at times. WAITING IS NOT WASTING time!
Pray with me and for me that as the prophets of old; we all will learn to wait upon the Lord: for His timing, His strength, His provisions, and His will! AMEN!

1 Keathley, III, J. Hampton, Th.M., The Foundation, Means, and Motivation for Godly Behavior, The Letter to Titus: An Exegetical and Devotional Commentary, Copyright 2007. bible.org