Wait Patiently On Him

By Kari Diane Pike

I feel a little selfish as I write this post. January marks the beginning of my fifth year as an ANWA Founder & Friends blogger. January 2007 seems like a life time ago. While I have not yet completed my goals to be published and obtain my bachelor's degree, I continue to take steps every day so I can get there. As 2010 slipped away, discouragement set in to the point that I seriously considered letting go of both of those goals. I prayed and fretted and prayed some more. Then last week, as I began my scripture study in 2 Nephi 27, I came across these words in verse 27: "...and I work not among the children of men save it be according to their faith." That scripture took me to Psalms 37: 3-7: "Trust in the Lord, and do good;...Commit thy way unto the Lord; Trust in him also and he shall bring it to pass...Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him..." Over the next 48 hours, I stumbled upon that phrase, "wait patiently for him," three more times. I knew it was time to ask how that applied to me.

Here is a brief outline of what I learned:
Psalms 25:5 "Lead me in the truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee I do wait all the day." Learn from the Lord by following his example. Trust in the knowledge that he is our Savior.

Psalms 37:34 "Wait on the Lord, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it." This scripture reminds me that waiting on the Lord is active. There is no time to just sit around. Make the effort to live as the Lord lived and continue in love and service despite what others around me are doing. Keep the commandments and covenants and be at peace.

Psalms 40: 1 "I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry." The Lord does hear and answer our prayers. The answer may not be evident for a very long time, but he does answer.

After reading some passages in Isaiah, and the admonition to cast away our "worldly" things and wait upon him, I pondered on what a professional waiter does. A waiter attends to the needs and desires of those whom he serves. Someone who "waits" is humble and patient. A waiter takes directions from those he serves. The scriptures teach us that we wait upon the Lord through faith, repentance, baptism, and obedience. Then we are given amazing promises such as found in Isaiah 40:31: "But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." The footnotes on that page use the words"hope for" and "anticipate," and lead to Doctrine and Covenants 133: 45 - "For since the beginning of the world have not men heard nor perceived by the ear, neither hath any eye seen, O God, besides thee, how great things thou hast prepared for him that waiteth for thee."

Our mortal minds can not conceive of the wealth of blessings the Lord has in store for us. When we wait on the Lord, the thing most important to us will be knowing that we have found favor in his eyes. We will look to him and know that we are acceptable in his sight. We will not need to seek out acceptance from the world around us. We will be freed from bitterness, regret, and self-hate. We won't have to be concerned about how we look, where we live, or how much money is in our bank account. The presence of the Holy Spirit will comfort us, and reassure us that as children of God, we are of infinite worth.

Luke 1: 37 "For with God nothing is impossible." How can we not want to wait on the Lord, knowing that he will always be with us and that he loves us with a love so great that he was willing to bleed from every pore and suffer on the cross -- just for us?

Needless to say, I found a renewed sense of commitment to my goals. I know that as I focus on priorities, the Lord will help me attain those goals that help me fulfill the measure of my creation. I am ready to continue moving forward. I think the words of my five-year-old grandson (as related by his dad) sum things up pretty well:

I sometimes tell the kids "Lets rock n roll" to mean lets go. I also sometimes say " That's the way I roll." primarily just to up my level of dorkness. Tonight I was asking why it was that we had a sink full of dishes and an empty dishwasher and Enoch (5) tells me, "Because dad, that's the way we rock." Made me laugh. I love him and his crazy 5 year old brain.

So get out your writing materials my friends and let's rock!