How Well Do You Wait?

I read this passage of Scripture this morning, and several things jumped out at me that I want to share with you today. Take a look at John 6:15 - 21 NLT 15 When Jesus saw that they (the crowds He had just fed) were ready to force him to be their king, he slipped away into the hills by himself. 16 That evening Jesus’ disciples went down to the shore to wait for him. 17 But as darkness fell and Jesus still hadn’t come back, they got into the boat and headed across the lake toward Capernaum. 18 Soon a gale swept down upon them, and the sea grew very rough. 19 They had rowed three or four miles when suddenly they saw Jesus walking on the water toward the boat. They were terrified, 20 but he called out to them, “Don’t be afraid. I am here!" 21 Then they were eager to let him in the boat, and immediately they arrived at their destination!

I've highlighted the sections that jumped out at me, see if you can relate to them: Jesus slipped away into the hills by Himself. Jesus' disciples went down to the shore to wait for Him. But as Jesus still hadn't come back, they got into the boat and headed across the lake, and the sea grew very rough.

Isn't that just how our lives work? We decide to wait on Jesus for an answer to prayer, or some direction in our daily walk, but when the answer doesn't show up as quick as we think it should, we make plans to go ahead and step out all by ourselves. Usually with disastrous results, at least for me anyway.

One of the things that I've noticed about Jesus in the Bible, is that He was always going off to spend time alone with the Father. I believe that the Holy Spirit was telling Jesus the things that were to come in His life during those times. Remember He said, "I do what I see my Father do, and I say what I hear my Father say." (John 8:26) I believe that He would go off on His own, talk with the Father and get His marching orders for what was to come.

I was watching a "making of" video about the Lord of the Rings movies a couple of years ago, and was fascinated to find out that the actors many times don't receive a full script of the movie. Usually they get the pages of the script that they will be shooting the night before. As I was thinking about this blog, it dawned on me that this might be how the Holy Spirit works. He won't show us everything, but just what we need to know for today.

Remember what Jesus said in Matthew 6:34: "Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof." I know that this was being spoken in the context of seeking the Kingdom of God first, but I see the principal here of not being concerned with tomorrow.

I know that for myself, I don't wait on God nearly enough. I'm ready to charge the fields, only to find out halfway towards the enemy that there is no army behind me...yet. I'm going to work on waiting on God in the morning time for my part in the Story, then perhaps I'll fulfill the Scripture in John 14:12 by doing those even "greater works". Strength and honor for the Kingdom and the King!