The Waiting Room
A Story About Waiting
The Book of Ruth is one of my favorites of the Bible, and I've read it many times, but this time, through this book study, I learned so much more!
One area the study focused on was Grace in waiting...
Just to give a little background about the Book of Ruth...
In the days when the judges ruled there was a famine in the land, and a man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons. The name of the man was Elimelech and the name of his wife Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah. They went into the country of Moab and remained there. But Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, died, and she was left with her two sons. These took Moabite wives; the name of the one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. They lived there about ten years, and both Mahlon and Chilion died, so that the woman was left without her two sons and her husband...
Ruth 1:1-5
...But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God
my God. Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the Lord do so to
me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.” And when Naomi saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more.
So the two of them went on until they came to Bethlehem.
Ruth 1:16-19
The Lord ordained Ruth's meeting with her kinsman redeemer, Boaz, in Bethlehem.
When Naomi learned that Ruth was gleaning in Boaz's field and realized he was a kinsman redeemer, after about a month's time, she instructed Ruth on what to do to initiate a marriage proposal to Boaz which involved her going to him at the threshing floor at nighttime where she uncovered his feet and lay there. Boaz was honored that Ruth would choose him, but realized that there was one other man who could redeem her and needed to speak with him first to see if he would redeem Ruth. When Ruth told Naomi all of this...
She replied, “Wait, my daughter, until you learn how the matter turns out,
for the man will not rest but will settle the matter today.”
Ruth 3:18
In this story of Ruth, she did wait as her mother-in-law instructed trusting that the Lord would work out the situation as she had hoped. And indeed He did! The other kinsman redeemer chose to decline redeeming Ruth. Boaz and Ruth went on to be married and she conceived a child, Obed, the father of Jesse, the Father of David the line through which Jesus would ultimately come. Now that was worth the wait!!
How can I be still and wait on God?
As I learned through this study of Ruth, the word wait used in this verse is "yashab" in Hebrew which means "to dwell, remain, sit and abide".
Typically, the word wait, to me anyway, conjures us feelings of stress... I think it is safe to say that nobody likes to wait...
Yet the meaning of the word wait, in the context of the verse above, evokes feelings of calmness and comfort to me - to dwell, to abide...
God has indeed built waiting into His creation, into His Eternal Plan!
We wait for each season... in nature and in life...
The leaves lie dormant and wait to burst forth...
The mom waits while her baby grows in the womb until the day of his or her birth when she finally meets her sweet babe face to face...
And in advanced age, we wait for the day that we will meet our Lord face to face...
We wait for a loved one to return from deployment; a child to return from college; a spouse to return from a business trip; we wait for a diagnosis; test results; or we wait for our wedding day; our vacation, our retirement. Every day, has its time of waiting. Some waiting is filled anxiety and some is filled with excitement.
Waiting on God Builds Faith
I recently read a devotion by Anne Graham Lotz who stated that "God uses waiting to build our faith".
Knowing that, we should EXPECT that God is going to do above and beyond what we hoped or imagined in seasons of waiting. "Every bump in the road he will use to reveal to us His sovereignty in every circumstance of life".
He is building our faith to show Himself faithful.
Are you currently waiting on the Lord? Sit in His presence and make your dwelling place with Him and His faithful promises.
Surely your goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house
of the Lord forever.
Psalm 23:6
One thing I ask from the Lord,
this only do I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
to gaze on the beauty of the Lord
and to seek him in his temple.
Psalm 27:4
"You could do more in my waiting, than in my doing I could do."
Bethany Dillon
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Oh, I am right on board with you...I hate waiting rooms. And, I am very uncomfortable in spiritual waiting rooms, too. I just want to see God's plan and not have any questions or mystery. Yet, He is renewing our strength in those waiting rooms and waiting time is not wasting time. It feels like it is, but God is always working behind the scenes and under the surface. Thank you so much for encouraging me so many, many times, sweet friend. Sending love, hugs, and gratitude to you tonight!
ReplyDeleteHi Cheryl, I love that, "waiting time is not wasting time" . Very well said!
DeletePraising God that He can use me to encourage you in your walk. He does the very same thing with your precious blog posts.
I so appreciate you! Sending you much love and gratitude.
I like the idea of dwelling as waiting. If we are dwelling in Christ, our waiting times can still be full of joy and peace. Blessings to you! I'm your neighbor at #TeaAndWord.
ReplyDeleteHi Gayl, Amen!
DeleteI always enjoy your visits!
Waiting is definitely a struggle for me too. I like how you point out the word yashab and what it means- that is very different from my normal attitude when waiting! I love the Bethany Dillon quote too- it does make a difference to remember that God knows best and his timing is perfect.
ReplyDeleteHi Lesley, Yes, I found that so interesting! Not only do we have God's word, but in the special language that it was delivered in, the words hold much deeper meaning than the English language can convey. The Scriptures are certainly a treasure of wealth to be mined.
DeleteThanks so much for stopping by.
The hardest thing for us humans is to wait.
ReplyDeleteBut since having chronic health issues, waiting & sitting before the Lord have become my new normal, it has been such a blessed time!
You're most welcome to drop by for a cuppa!
Jennifer
Hi Jennifer, I am sorry to hear that you have chronic health issues, but praising God that you are receiving rich blessings in the waiting.
DeleteThank you!
Blessings,
Waiting feels like wasting time. That's the feeling we often transfer to time of spiritual waiting, but we need to change that and realize that waiting on/for God is a time of preparation. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteHi Karen, Very well said. I so appreciate what you have added to the conversation. Such a blessing. I love what you said about waiting being a "time of preparation".
DeleteHave a blessed weekend!
Hi, Karen! Thanks so much for this lovely post. It seems every blog I visit, every word I read is ordained and anointed for my heart in this season. I've been working hard to help my family out of a tough financial situation and myself some health issues. The Lord continues to remind me to sit still and wait, that He is in control, and that I need to stop trying to be the rescuer and let Him handle things in His time. In fact, our small group just finished a study about Ruth recently. Our Father continues to confirm what I oftentimes forget. Thanks for allowing Him to use you to bless me today.
ReplyDeleteHi Mandy, You are most welcome. :-)
DeleteOh I love when that happens!! Thank you for sharing that. It is always encouraging to those who write or preach because it is confirmation that we are being led by the Holy Spirit and not self.
Praising God that you received blessing here today.
Waiting sure does show us what is in our hearts, doesn't it? It's such an intense trust test. I have recently discovered the Well-Watered Women, and they are lovely God-fearing ladies. Thanks for sharing these insights!
ReplyDeleteHi Cindy, Oh yes. I didn't even think of it that way. You are so right!
DeleteOh I'm so glad you have discovered them! Their ministry blesses me consistently! I am currently using their Give Me Jesus Journal and it is helping me to mine so deep into the Scriptures I am studying.
Thanks for sharing that.
Blessings,
Ruth is one of my favourite books. I like the thoughts about waiting as seen in that book. Thank you for the reminder.
ReplyDeleteHi Beth, You are very welcome!
DeleteThanks so much for stopping by. :-)
Karen, as I was reading how you feel about the word wait, I found myself nodding my head 'yes' me too. I love your reminder to sit in the waiting in the presence of God. It's such a great place to be.
ReplyDeleteWe are neihbors at #FridaysattheFireStation link-up & also thank you for linking up with me over at #TuneInThursday .. I enjoy having you linkup and being a part of the community. Blessings to you
Thanks so much for sharing that Debbie. :-)
DeleteIndeed and Amen!
You are welcome! Thank you so much for hosting!
Excellent lesson on waiting!
ReplyDeleteI never get tired of reading through the book of Ruth - I learn something new each time through.
Thank you for sharing this study with us this week on our Encouaraging Hearts & Home Blog Hop!
Hi Linda, I'm the same way!
DeleteYou are very welcome! :-)
Such a wonderful post! Waiting on the LORD can be such a time of faith building! No doubt it can be challenging, but we can be encouraged by knowing that we can be still and know He is God Psalm 96:10. A missionary once told me that there is no safer place to be than waiting on the will of God. I've had my share of waiting - in one situation I'm still waiting after 25 years. He is faithful, though. He is true. He is "trustable"! Praise God for such a wonderful post!
ReplyDeleteHi Miaismine, Thank you!
DeleteIndeed, faith building!
What a wonderful quote! Thanks so much for sharing it!
Thank you for testifying about your own time of waiting in such a God-honoring way.
I enjoyed your visit so much!
Thanks for stopping by. :-)
"Sitting is an act of surrender and a display of trust." Excellent point, Karen! I sometimes feel that I've spent so much of my life waiting that I'm somewhat of an expert on it. But, God is always working behind the scenes and comes through with the perfect answer at the exact right time, doesn't He? He has certainly proved that over and over again in my life. Thank you for pointing people to our Saviour!
ReplyDeleteHi Julie,
DeleteThank you.
Oh yes! I can testify to that! :-)
You are very welcome.
Thanks so much for stopping by.
It is SO HARD to wait!! Wow. So good! I am inspired by this today. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteHi Rachel, Indeed it is.
DeletePraising God that you have found inspiration here. :-)
You are very welcome.
Hi Karen! Waiting is a huge theme in my life. I remember the waiting as two years passed before we were able to bring our daughter home through adoption. It was brutal. The day we brought her home I believed the waiting was over. Only then we soon realized our daughter was not healthy. Since then our lives are built around waiting. Waiting for doctors. therapists, paperwork, school services, government services, support services. Waiting for the learning to take place. Waiting for the surgeries to be scheduled. And ultimately waiting for God to work His miracle healing. In the beginning, I didn't understand what waiting well meant. I thought it was simply doing the best I can and tolerating the limbo of life. But today I realize it's so much more than that. It's finding the joy amidst the waiting. Living in the moment and fully relishing it. Not living in the past nor in the future. Taking each step and following God in faith - trusting the wait is a part of the glorious journey.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for sharing these words. I am always blessed by my time here ♥
Blessings and smiles,
Lori
Hi Lori, Thank you so much for leaving such an edifying comment that adds beautifully to the subject of waiting on God. Your testimony brings much glory to God.
DeleteI appreciated your visit so much.
Thanks for stopping by.
Sending you blessings on this Lord's Day. :-)
Yeah... waiting... not a fan. It seems so much like wasting time. I mean, this 'get it done' girl likes to keep the program moving, right? it's so hard to look at waiting in the right way... not wasting time, but preparation time. God getting us ready for what He has next. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteHi Karen, Oh, I'm write there with you! It's like I think that being active in the situation is going to make it come faster. There's the "in my own strength and time mentality". :-/
DeleteI love what you said, "preparation time". Indeed He is!
Thanks so much for adding great points to the conversation.
Blessings,