While We’re Waiting

While We’re Waiting
by Pastor Sam Livingston

One of the most fascinating and most difficult things for us is the art of waiting. We receive the promise but the waiting really puts our faith to the test. An avid fisher told me one day that a good fisherman almost has to be lazy because you can get impatient. For those of us who has spent time fishing, we know it is either feast or famine. Everybody enjoys the sport of fishing when a school of fishes are passing through. On the other hand, it takes patients to wait on a movement from you line.

Let’s examine what a good fisherman does:

1. He or she takes something to read with them.
2. He or she invites someone to talk to while fishing.
3. The Father may take his son or daughter for bonding time.
4. Spend time speaking fish into existence (….“I’m about to get a bite”).
5. Always end the day on a high note.

How many of you like me get tired of waiting sometime. I like to get everything done now I don’t like to wait. I purpose not to procrastinate in any areas of my life. Nevertheless, sometime waiting is God’s will for us in a particular area at a certain time. We all hate it when our love ones are being treated unfairly for it is at that time that we want to step in and handle business our way. However scripture teaches us to “Say not thou, I will recompense evil; but wait on the LORD, and he shall save thee” Prov. 20:22.

Well, why should we wait and what in the world are we going to be saved from. Waiting may save us some embracement because we are pray warriors and not road warriors. God has given us supernatural inner strength not supernatural outer strength. In other words we pray through wall not break through them. We don’t need a 9 mm or a bulldozer all we need is the spiritual imagination to believe that it is already done.

Let’s get back to the fisherman first he takes something to read. Whenever we are troubled and about to get weary, read the word. “For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock”. Psalm 27:5. We should always have something to read that presents the word of God in it of course nothing can substitute the word itself. The word hides us while we are waiting on the promise and it solidifies and stabilizes our patient.

The second and third thing a fisherman does is that he or she invites someone to talk to. While you are waiting for the Lord to move on your behalf stay busy spend time in prayer, witnessing, helping others through difficult times, etc. It is mush easier to walk with a cup of coffee by letting you hand, wrist and nervous system balance it automatically as oppose to you watching it as you walk and wasting it all over the floor. We cannot afford to waste anything from God because his substance is too precious. “And I will come down and talk with thee there: and I will take of the spirit which is upon thee, and will put it upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with thee, that thou bear it not thyself alone” Num 11:17. Hold on help is truly on the way.

The fourth thing the fisherman does is that he speaks fish into existence. While a fisherman is waiting on a bite he is constantly calling a bite by saying it, “I’m about to get a bite”. This is the attitude that a Christian should have always expecting the breakthrough, always expecting the miracle, always expecting the healing but not only expecting it but speaking it also. “Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof” Prov. 18.21. If we want to partake of the fruit after the waiting period, we must keep speaking it. Fishing teaches you patience if you desperately lack it. Our God is a patient God and we are his children and the sheep of his pasture. He waited patiently on us to ask to be pulled out of the wilderness of sin. For many of us, it was several valuable lost years where we could have been helping others work out their soul salvation but thanks be to God we found him and followed him to safety.

The final thing a good fisherman does is that he/she tries to end the fishing day on a good note. Even if the final count on the day was below what was expected, they are appreciative for the opportunity to be able to fish. They are thankful that it did not rain, thankful that the insects left them alone, thankful for the opportunity to spend time with friend and love ones.

While you are waiting on God to accept your praise (bait) spend some time reading, praying, fasting, helping others grow and speaking your desires into existence be delightful and not hateful. “Delight thyself also in the LORD: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart” Ps 37.4.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Pastor Sam Livingston is a seasoned pastor, lecturer, teacher and Author of “The Essentials of Fellowship”. He is married to Meraldine Hicks Livingston and blessed to have two children, Sammy K Livingston Jr. and Candace I Livingston. Pastor Livingston is a graduate of NC A&T State University; B.S., Webster University; Business Administration, MA and he is a student at Luther Rice Seminary’s Master of Divinity program. Total Package Ministry airs via television bi-weekly throughout Coastal South Carolina. He thanks God for the opportunity to carry the healing ministry to a hurting nation.