Update #163 - Gracious Waiting

“Therefore the Lord will wait, that He may be gracious to you…” Isaiah 30:18a

Temple Bell, Seoul, South Korea

In Isaiah 30, Israel is doing her usual thing…taking confidence in Egypt (not in God), not listening to the prophets (they want niceties not truth), and relying on their own strength (not Gods) to outwit their oppressors. Isaiah cautions - if heed isn’t taken, they will overreact, their numbers will dwindle, and they will become a remnant; a marker commemorating a once great nation.

“The Lord will wait, that He may be gracious to you…” I looked up the word wait (haka) and was stunned. Basically, instead of turning his back on a people who have turned their backs on him, God camps out and waits. “Therefore (because of the things you are doing) the Lord will wait.” God isn’t hanging out or idly passing the time either, the definition reveals He is actively waiting; He is LYING in wait, He is HOPING, LONGING for their return.

Wow.

After thinking about it, I could begin to grasp God’s heart. He wants us restored, reunited and fellowshipping with Him – it is what we were made for. And He is willing to wait for us to hear and respond to His call.

The part that actually rocked my world is what God wants to do when Israel returns – when His waiting, hoping and longing come to an end. This people, who have gone against everything God stands for, who have flouted their independence and ran in the other direction...God wants to be GRACIOUS to them!

Yep, gracious - He wants to take compassion, have mercy, pity, bestow favor, and be generous and kind; he wants to love on them! This is totally against what the human flesh would want to do! We would want to revenge a bit of the hurt inflicted, make them understand the waiting and pain we experienced. God doesn’t even address this…he wants to tend to their hurts, their needs, be generous by giving them things they need to survive.

Wow.

This God sized attitude brings me comfort, but also makes me uncomfortable. I find solace that God will wait and be gracious to me if I ever slide away. The unease arises from the awareness that I need to treat others the same way I am treated. Which (gulp) means I should emulate God’s pattern of active waiting and graciousness to those who malign me.

Tall order.

I don’t have this nailed yet. It ranks right up there with ‘bless those that curse you.’ My instant response isn’t gracious action towards those maligning me. It should be, but it isn’t.

Who has mistreated you? Who are you waiting to come into alignment with God and his wishes? Who do you need to be gracious toward? Who do you need to care for as God has cared for you?

Updates:

Travel – I’m home – until the 22nd then off to Seattle to celebrate Christmas with my family. I was able to book air tickets to the NW on air miles! Whoo Hoo (flying at odd hours, but the ticket was mostly free!)!

Work – The Call2All Conference was not as well attended as they had hoped, but we made some key contacts, sold several books and introduced our new Convergence Study.

Personal – Camera has been pronounced totaled, dead, done for. The repair shop isn’t sure what happened, but the LCD screen is no longer functional and is not repairable. Thank God for my Blackberry phone camera… not great quality but works!

Requests:

Travel – Upcoming trip to Nigeria for Brett, Seattle for me!

Work – Year end wrap up, prep for 2012 planning meeting, and recruiting, recruiting, recruiting for our upcoming training cycle.

Personal – a head cold has made its home in my sinuses. Sleep, fluids and rest aren’t kicking it – please pray it goes away soon!