One aspect of prayer, one that is often uncomfortable and at times can be actually painful, is when all we can do is to wait on the Lord.
Waiting takes up a lot of time even in our day to day lives. We wait at airports, doctors and dentist offices, even for an important call. There can be an experience of nothingness in waiting, sort of like the play “Waiting for Godot” by Samuel Beckett. For me what struck me about the play was the emptiness and boredom that was so evident.
So yes waiting can be tedious but unavoidable. In prayer the experience can be one of extreme dryness, of feeling isolated and where trying to raise ones heart and mind to God impossible. It is then we simply sit and wait, in silence, or perhaps in slowly reading from the scriptures, entering into a scene and simply staying there, or saying some simple prayer slowly. Then again, just sitting, aware that one is waiting -- yes just like in a doctors office, or like the two men in Godot.
The difference from the play, however, is that our wait does not end in despair. There will be days when the waiting is just that -- nothing happens, yet it is the simply being there that is the real prayer. For in this dryness we are slowly being taught to seek the Lord for himself alone and not just for what we can experience or receive.
We learn from this that it is grace, God’s love, which is in control. This waiting is probably a more important time than the times of consolation and joy. For it is then that we truly choose to seek the Lord in the desert. The living waters will flow on no schedule, but they will flow, in fact they are always there, just hidden beneath the sands. We get what we need, not what we want.
When have you had to wait for something? How does prayer help you in times of waiting? What encouragement can you give to those who feel like they are constantly in a waiting game?
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Comments (7)
I didn't get an answer even when my body was ripped and blood was
spilling from my body. No answer. I faced hell on my own and came out alive. Only recently were the angels on my side...
it's now that I see the heartbreak and despair of a people who want to so bad
to believe but feel as if they are abandoned. It is I who can't help but pour the love out
of my heart because I hated myself feeling so angry and alone, I don't want
others to have to feel that way, so I pick up the sword and fight for them. In the end, will it matter? I have faced the Taliban religions in the
past few months and I feel that they will win in the end and with that comes
heartache and despair with hunger, poverty, and discrimination. And the circle continues. Are there any good people out there anymore?
@hesacontradiction@xanga -
I understand, yes there are good people out there, whose hearts do bleed becasue of their closness to Christ Jesus. Jesus suffered abandomnet, betryal, torure and being unjustly put to death.....yet on the cross he forgave all....that does mean all, ykour prayers and love or not in vain, because your heart has expanded in the heart of Christ, which is both divine and also the most human. Let us join our prayers together my friend.
Peace
mark
@DreamPet@xanga -
Yes that is where our inner idols die, for me it is a life long process.....thank you for your thoughtful post. Isn't it wonderful to knw that none of us is alone, that not is Christ near, but others travel with us as well, in that we can support one another.
peace
mark
"Within the wait we have two options, endure or give up". those who give up on god, will not see his miracles. god calls us to wait many times. sometimes in the waiting we can still find wisdom from him. I like to go on walks around my town, and most of the time, god speaks to me through every walk. I am waiting to get somewhere, im waiting for my walk to be over. sometimes we need waiting, to understand that god can do miracles under any, and every circumstance. sometimes even though we feel abandoned and alone when it comes to our relationship with god, he is always there. sometimes waiting on god,is a test. we all endure it some time or another. it shows us that even in times that god is not 'speaking' to us, we still have enough faith to continue in our life style for the lord. Waiting can suck, or it can be amazing. sometimes we think we are waiting for god, but really, we are waiting in all the wrong places. if good can speak through all things, but we only listen from just a few places (pastors, the Bible, worship songs Etc.) we are not actually doing our most to find him. sometimes we 'wait' because we are not opening our ears to other aspects in our life. sometimes we wait to hear him because he is on the other side of the crowded room saying "come here" but your waiting on him to come to you. sometimes you wait because you yourself, are not moving to find him more.
God is always on a walk, and so are we. god does not change speeds in this walk, we do. if we are waiting on him to come to us, sometimes he will walk away because we begin to stand still.don't always blame waiting in silence on god, sometimes he does make us wait, but sometimes he actually is to far away to hear what he is saying.
Ah, the lost art of waiting on God. My drummer and I started a small group based on the idea that we were to wait on God for our marching orders rather than to tell Him ours and ask Him to bless them. The small group of four grew to over 20 but lasted only 2 years. Abba has a season for everything. However, waiting on Him to see what He wants to do seems to still be a good and effective thing.
Then there is the waiting that comes with the silent answer to our requests. It can be maddening, but it can also bring about purification if one allows it.
& how long has HE waited for us, never ever complaining about it neither...!?!
(far too long for this recovering-dirty-rotten-sinner, thankyou Messiah...thankYOU !)