Dear Faith Family,

Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!  (Psalm 27:14).

Once upon a time General Foods made a product called Great Shakes.  I would tell you that the product came out in the 1960’s.  But how would I know that?!  The box contained a two-tone chocolate brown plastic cup and four packets of milkshake mix.  Just empty the packet of powder into the cup, pour in milk, snap on the lid, and shake.  Voilà, you’ve got a milkshake!

I have a Great Shakes memory.  We were in our kitchen.  It was my turn to make a Great Shake.  Packet of milkshake mix?  Check.  Milk?  Check.  Snap on the lid?  Check, sort of. 

So, here’s what happened.  At the other end of the house the doorbell rang.  Dad was headed to the front door to answer the doorbell.  He left me with very clear instructions.  He told me not to shake the Great Shake.  I was to wait until he returned and made sure that the lid was snapped on tightly.

You know where this is going, don’t you?!  Twin thoughts raised a ruckus in my mind.  First thought: I’ve waited long enough.  I can’t wait anymore!  Second thought: I can do this by myself.  So I didn’t (wait).  And, I did (do it by myself). 

If I had only waited for my father there wouldn’t be milkshake on the kitchen counter, on the kitchen floor, on the kitchen ceiling and on me!  It wasn’t such a great shake after all.

Waiting isn’t necessarily doing nothing.  Our waiting ought to include looking for God to fulfill His promises with an expectation that He will.  Are we waiting with an attitude of “grump”?  That’s when we only wait because we are forced to wait.  The “want to” is missing.  Or are we waiting with anticipation, even expectation, that God is going to do all that He said?  Are we waiting with excitement that we are going to see God work in His world?

In just a few hours my wife, my mother, and I will travel to Georgia to visit with our son and his family.  But, we won’t get to see them until tomorrow.  Know what?  I will wait!  We have prepared to meet our new grandson.  I know he’s worth the wait!

So what are you waiting for?  Maybe God hasn’t answered your prayer yet?  Maybe you’re waiting for the Coronavirus to end?  Maybe you’re waiting for a change at work?  Maybe you’re waiting for __________?  You fill in the blank?  Joshua and Caleb had to wait 40 years to inhabit the promised land!

Here’s my question.  Are you looking for God in the wait?  Do you expect Him to keep His Word?  Are you excited to see Him work according to His timing?  He’s worth the wait!

Waiting,
Pastor Karl