30 Days of Him... Day 2. Waiting

"Must I always be waiting, waiting on you... must I always be playin', playin a fool..." -- Jack Johnson, "Sitting Wishing Waiting"

Sometimes I hate waiting. I'm not necessarily talking about waiting for something in particular, but just the concept bugs me sometimes. Waiting for the game to start. Waiting for the light to turn red. Waiting for my iPod to load. Waiting for The Lovely Steph Leann to get out of the shower. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Sheesh.

I just started a devotional, something to give me some substance for my 30 Days of Him Journey... you know, you can find them practically anywhere--"Ten Minutes With God" or "Quick Words for Busy Lives" or "Rush Hour Jesus" or whatever. Mine is actually called "The One Year Daily Grind", and its written and compiled by Sarah Arthur. Its not too deep, and it at least gives me a springboard for doing something daily.

Today it was talking about waiting, and the scripture today is Luke 2:25-38... it tells the story of Simeon... it says:

In Jerusalem at the time, there was a man, Simeon by name, a good man, man who lived in the prayerful expectancy of help for Israel. And the Holy Spirit was on him. The Spirit had showed him that he would see The Messiah (not Obama, mind you, but the real one) before he died. Led by the Spirit, he entered the Temple. As the parents of the child Jesus brought him in to carry out the rituals of the Law, Simeon took him into his arms and blessed God:

"God, you can now release your servant, release me in peace as you promised. With my own eyes I've seen your salvation; it's now out in the open for everyone to see... A God-revealing light to the non-Jewish nations, and of glory for your people Israel."

Jesus' father and mother were speechless with surprise at these words. Simeon went on to bless them, and said to Mary, his mother, "The child marks both the failure and the recovery of many in Israel, a figure misunderstood and contradicted--the pain of a sword thrust through you. But the rejection will force honesty, as God reveals who they really are.

Anna, the prophet, was also there, a daughter of Phanuel from the tribe of Asher. She was by now a very old woman. She had been married seven years and a widow for 84. She never left the Temple area, worshiping night and day with her fastings and prayers. At the very time Simeon was praying, she showed up, broke into a song of praise to God, and talked about the child to all who were waiting expectantly for the freeing of Jerusalem. (The Message)

So, these two have waiting all their lives for a promise to be fulfilled, a promise made by the Living God. They never doubted, or didn't show it, as the years went by, they just waiting for it to happen.

Sometimes we just wait, because those are our instructions. Sometimes God says, "Get on up now, go get to work, do what I told ya", and other times, He says, "Now, stay there til I tell you different." If we trust the process that God has for us, this is what we do.

One of my favorite passages of Scripture is Psalm 130... I use The Message alot, and will do so, for this site, but I prefer the NIV in this instance... the psalmist writes:

Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy. If you, Lord, kept a record of sins, who could stand? But with YOU, there is forgiveness, therefore you are feared.

I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His word I put my hope. My soul waits for the Lord, more than the watchman wait for the morning, more than the watchman wait for the morning.

Israel, put your hope in the Lord, for with the Lord there is unfailing love and with him is full redemption. He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins.

Yes, if God kept a record of 0.00000000000001% of my sins, I'd be done for. And thats just today's screw-ups. But He promised forgiveness. I pray to Him, making my life a prayer, and wait for what He'll say and do, and what He'll say and do through me.

I just hope I'm attentive enough when He wants to use me, rather than Him making me be used. That hurts more.