Twisting the Chains

Gabriel Wright
4-13-16
 
Lamentations 3:25 (ESV)
The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks Him.
 
Waiting is hard for me to do.  I order something from Amazon, and then start checking the “track my shipment” every 5 minutes until my package arrives.  So, when I read a scripture that tells me I need to wait, it is pretty hard to apply.  In this particular scripture, Jeremiah’s use of the word wait means to “strengthen by twisting cords”.  That reminds me of when I was a kid on the playground.  I loved to lay in a swing and start spinning around in a circle, twisting the chains and raising myself higher and higher off the ground.  Then, I would let go and spin like a helicopter propeller until I almost puked.  
Waiting on the Lord is similar.  Waiting on the Lord isn’t sitting and doing nothing…it’s twisting the chains.  Look at the story of Cornelius in Acts 10.  He wasn’t sitting around twiddling his thumbs waiting for revival in his family.  The bible says, “gave alms generously to the people, and prayed continually to God”.   God noticed his prayers and his generosity.  As a matter of fact, he was creating “memorials” in heaven.  While he waited on revival, he prayed…a lot!  I don’t know how long he prayed, or how much he twisted the chains, but eventually the twisted swing was released and God showed up in a big way.  The Bible says that Peter showed up and started sharing the gospel with Corn’s family and before he even made it to his 3rd point “the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word” (Acts 10:44).
What if Israel would have stopped walking around Jericho after 6 laps? What if the disciples had not “waited” in the upper room? I don’t know what you are “waiting” on God for today, but I want to encourage you to keep twisting the chains.  Keep praying, keep loving, keep serving, and keep seeking.
 
GW