Be still in the presence of the LORD, and wait patiently for Him to act. Don’t worry about evil people who prosper, or fret about their wicked schemes. ~Psalms 37:7

I think the hardest part of waiting for me is finding something to do while I wait. No matter what kind of waiting it is: waiting to heal from the pain, waiting from discipline, or waiting for God to act or show me the way, I’m usually chopping at the bit to DO something.
On Sunday I was reminded of Paul’s attitude in the waiting place. He was thrown into prison unjustly and waiting on his day in court (Acts 24-26). Waiting to get back to traveling and preaching, but he didn’t waste any of that time moping or feeling sorry for himself. Instead he learned from the waiting. In this instance, he learned to have joy despite what others might do, and to be content in any circumstance (Phil. 1:12-18; Phil. 4:11-13). And he still continued to serve God in the waiting place (Acts 28: 16; Acts 28:30-31).

Ouch! I just realized how often I use my waiting as an excuse to do nothing. I can’t have people over because our apartment is too small. I can’t fix meals for others because I don’t have all my cooking stuff. I can’t….

Okay, I stopped right there and freed myself from those excuses. What excuses have you been giving while you’re in the waiting place? What could you do differently to serve God while you wait?

There’s a great song called While I’m Waiting  by John Waller that speaks to this idea. A few weeks ago Darah Henley sent me the link, and it’s very appropriate as we think about what to do while we wait: