How do you deal with delay? We all face the challenge of waiting. It might be related to minor or major issues, they also come with dilemmas. It might have to be with waiting for marriage, having children, promotion, catching a bus.. The period of waiting gets a bit tough when what we are expecting is delayed. During this time, options to the expected will begin to be concocted in our mind. It takes great discipline, faith and patience to stay alert so that the pressure we that is bubbling within does not move us to make moves that will at the portend to regrets. How do you handle waiting?
Dilemma
State of uncertainty or perplexity especially as requiring a choice between equally unfavourable options
Delay
- Cause to be slowed down such that the expected does not happen within envisaged time frame
- Time during which some action is awaited based on an expected promise
Exodus 32:1-5 And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people
gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him. [2] And Aaron
said unto them, Break off the golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me. [3] And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron. [4] And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. [5] And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, To morrow is a feast to the Lord.
Exodus 24:12-15 And the Lord said unto Moses, Come up to me into the mount, and be there: and I will give thee
tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that thou mayest teach them. [13] And Moses rose up, and his minister Joshua: and Moses went up into the mount of God. [14] And he said unto the elders, Tarry ye here for us, until we come again unto you: and, behold, Aaron and Hur are with you: if any man have any matters to do, let him come unto them. [15] And Moses went up into the mount, and a cloud covered the mount.
Though dilemmas have to do with unfavourable options, I do see the pressure to choose between waiting for what we are expecting and other options that are appealing to us as a dilemma. In cases like these, it is either to wait by faith or opt for what is present. We all wait for various things but how do you deal with waiting? Saul waited 7 days for Samuel in his initial encounter before he was told he will be king
1 Samuel 10:8-9 And thou shalt go down before me to Gilgal; and, behold, I will come down unto thee, to offer burnt offerings, and to sacrifice sacrifices of peace offerings: seven days shalt thou tarry, till I come to thee, and shew thee what thou shalt do. [9] And it was so, that when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, God gave him another heart: and all those signs came to pass that day
1 Samuel 13:6-10 When the men of Israel saw that they were in a strait, (for the people were distressed,) then the people did hide themselves in caves, and in thickets, and in rocks, and in high places, and in pits. [7] And some of the Hebrews went over Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. As for Saul, he was yet in Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling. [8] And he tarried seven days, according to the set time that Samuel had appointed : but Samuel came not to Gilgal; and the people were scattered from him. [9] And Saul said, Bring hither a burnt offering to me, and peace offerings. And he offered the burnt offering. [10] And it came to pass, that as soon as he had made an end of offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him, that he might salute him.
The Disciples were asked to tarry at Jerusalem. They did not have the full picture but their only confidence was on the one who had demanded that they wait.
Luke 24:49 And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be
endued with power from on high.
They did not know the day and time of the impartation of the Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ did not tell them, the only they were told was that they wait at a specific town, Jerusalem.
Why is waiting challenging and it presents dilemmas?
Waiting is difficult because it challenges the flesh.The flesh wants convenience, it does not thrive in the place of
inconvenience. Waiting demands discipline. If the flesh is not disciplined under the spirit it runs its own course.
when discipline is lacking and confusing results when waiting is aborted or compromised. Waiting stretches the
spirit of the one who is waiting. It presents anxiety and pushes for one’s own action. The enemy plays with the
mind of the person and presents various options of what could be in the place of what is being expected.
The problem of impatience
Impatience can abort or compromise God’s intended plans. Patience is a fruit of the Holy Spirit and it is what helps us surmount pressure of opposing options to what is expected while in the place of tarry. It is extremely important to pray for patience and grace to tarry and act in accordance with God’s timing. Man’s vision is limited while God’s is limitless. Hurrying in one’s limited knowledge therefore carries devastating consequences.
What if the disciples did not tarry at Jerusalem as Jesus Christ had requested of them? What if the people of Israel
spent their time of waiting, praying and celebrating God’s goodness towards them while they waited Moses’ return?
What if Sarah had adored and worshipped God and asked for inner strength to just wait and believe His word? It would have been a very different scenario
Wait upon the Lord
Psalm 37:9 For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.
Psalm 123:2 Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden
unto the hand of her mistress; so our eyes wait upon the Lord our God, until that he have mercy upon us.
Isaiah initially stated that he will wait upon the Lord
Isaiah 8:16-18 Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples. [17] And I will wait upon the Lord, that hideth his face from the house of Jacob, and I will look for him. [18] Behold, I and the children whom the Lord hath given me are for signs and for wonders in Israel from the Lord of hosts, which dwelleth in mount Zion.
Isaiah 40:30-31 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: [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.
What is needed while waiting?
- Focus on God
- Equipping self for next level
- Seeking God’s face in prayer
- Discipline of the spirit
- Holding unto and honouring God’s truth
- Knowledge
- Grace for discernment and comprehension of what is awaited
Habakkuk 2:2-3 And the Lord answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may
run that readeth it. [3] For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.
God has an appointed things according to His time frame
Philippians 4:5-6 Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. [6] Be anxious for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
Romans 8:24-25 For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? [25] But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.
What Gas God asked you to wait for? What are you waiting for? Are you agitated? Are you trying to enact your own plans as against God’s own?
Types of tarry
- God instructed
- Life influenced
- Self influenced
- Institutional instructed
Elijah asked Elisha to tarry but Elisha was spiritually alert to know that this was not one of such moments he needed
to wait.
2 Kings 2:1-2 And it came to pass, when the Lord would take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went
with Elisha from Gilgal. [2] And Elijah said unto Elisha, Tarry here, I pray thee; for the Lord hath sent me to Bethel. And Elisha said unto him, As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they went down to Bethel
The lepers at the gates of Samaria faced a situational dilemma, it was either they sat and starved to death at the gates of a city under siege or they faced death by approaching the enemies camp with possibility for getting something to eat. They knew they had to arise. Pray that God will give you the grace to discern and know when you should tarry and when you ought to act as Elisha did.
The greatest wait
The return of Jesus Christ is the greatest period of waiting Christians have to face. Many say that it has taken thousands of years and He is not returning anymore. This category of people have gone about other things. Jesus Christ foresaw this, thus His clear warning demanding those who believe to stay focus on His return and not to get distracted by mundane matters
Luke 12:43-47 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. 44Of a truth I say unto you, that he will make him ruler over all that he hath. 45But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken; 46The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers. 47And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes
Irrespective of what you are waiting for, no matter the dilemma you might face, ensure that you are very focussed, patient, prayerful and strongly in sync with God. Do not hurry to make choices or decisions that will bring you sorrows and regrets.