One of my favorite television
programs this summer is the PBS presentation of “Grantchester.” Set in the
1950’s, it’s main character is Sidney Chambers, the vicar of a church in
Grantchester, a village just outside Cambridge. Sidney helps Inspector Geordie
Keating in solving mysteries, much like Father Brown.
In a recent episode, Sidney is
found struggling with a moral question: should he pursue an intimate
relationship with a divorced woman prior to her divorce. We see him in the
church praying for guidance. Aloud he prays: “Tell me what to do.” However, believing himself to be alone,
someone behind him states: “Some days I wish He’d answer back.”
It seems to be the notion of many
in the 21st Century – desiring some type of audible, physical or
observable answer to every one of our prayers – and instantly while we ask.
Where this notion has come from is difficult to determine, but it does not come
from Scripture. There is much evidence in Scripture that supports the idea that
we are to wait upon the Lord for His guidance, including – but not limited to –
the answering of prayers.
Here are some examples:
1) Isaiah
8:17 - This chapter is a section which
deals with the coming of Messiah. Isaiah wrote:
“And I will wait for the Lord
who is hiding His face from the house of Jacob; I will even look eagerly for
Him.”
2) Isaiah
40:31 – Isaiah states a promise to those who wait:
“Yet those who wait upon the
Lord will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, they
will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary”
3) David
wrote in Psalm 27:14:
“Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take
courage; Yes, wait for the Lord.”
4) A particularly key verse is Psalm 130:5:
“I wait for the Lord, my soul does
wait, and in His word do I hope.”
This verse is important to the principle of
waiting because it directs us to be active
while we wait. For us to have hope (confident expectation) in His Word,
presupposes that we are involved in studying His Word in order to understand
fully His workings in our lives.
5) Paul
provides a corresponding observation in Romans 8:25:
“But if we hope for what
we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.”
But it is so difficult to wait.
And yet there are blessings for those who learn to wait and are active while
they wait. The activity believers should occupy their lives as well as their time
of waiting is in the study of His Word. Gaining a fuller knowledge of His Word
provides us with His standards for our lives. We’ll know what is expected of us
in our moment-by-moment walk of faith. We’ll know that He ‘has our back’ as
Peter stated: “Casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you” (1
Peter 5:7). Instead, we would simply seek His strength to obey His Word and the resolve to wait upon Him.