Tap Dance Faith

"Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord! Psalm 27:14

Waiting seems to last forever. We wait, but we run. Doesn't make much sense, does it? To wait means to be still, but running shows movement. Our discipline to wait is like my dog waiting to devour the steak on our dinner table. She must wait, but she can't so she barks, jumps, flips, you get the picture.

Waiting is the hardest thing I have ever done. No matter what I wait for, I itch to move. I tap dance till I see the end. Like when we were waiting for Lillie to be born. We almost lost her at 5 months (during pregnancy). The first doctor was a tool. He joked at our crisis, trying to lighten the air when our daughter was fighting for her life. I had a tear in my placenta. That was the worst doctors visit. Waiting for the unknown seemed to shut me down; all but my nerves. My wardrobe was anything but fashionable that day and I'm not saying that to be cute. I was strapped with a heart monitor that was void of any heartbeat but my own. They sent me home on bed rest. Six weeks later, l finally breathed relief.

I learned to wait in prayer. I learned to call upon God. There was nothing I could do but wait.

My father-in-law spoke this past sunday on Daniel 6 when God shut the mouths of lions. Here is a quick rundown. Daniel had found favor in the eyes of King Darius. So much that the King planned to set him over the whole kingdom. This upset the other leaders so they sought out to find fault against Daniel. Daniel prayed often and because of his loyalty to God, these other leaders set into motion a law that anyone who went before any god other than the King would be thrown into the den of lions. When Daniel heard the decree had been signed by the King, he immediately when to his house to pray. He couldn't get to the house of God, but the God of the house was in his heart.

These men, whom Daniel had called friends, tested him, examined him, and waited for him to be devoured. They focused on what wasn't important forgetting what was. What they didn't know, however, was that Daniel made God the God of his everyday life. He learned to wait and in waiting through prayer and faith, he learned how to let God be God. Upon this, his faith was built.

So often I find myself in the waiting eager to act, or take control, or defend when none of my actions are necessary. You see, Faith builds trust and trust sustains us through the waiting.

Daniel was old. His bones probably ached with age. There was nothing Daniel could do but wait. He didn't turn into Rambo, killing the lion's with his hands. No, he asked God to show up. He asked God to do the impossible; to move his mountains. God shut their mouths; both the lions and the men who spoke against him. In the end, the people saw God.

Sometimes the waiting is greatest place to be. When you find yourself in the lion's den, let God be God and wait. Lay you cares in His hands, and walk confidently that God will come at the right time.

Charles Spurgeon wrote, "I will wait, if Thou keep me many a day, for my heart is fixed upon Thee alone, O God, and my spirit waiteth for Thee in the full conviction that Thou wilt yet be my joy and my salvation, my refuge and my strong tower."