While We Wait

Weekday Posts
Written By Dean Collins

By Dean Collins

What are you waiting on? I imagine that everyone who reads this blog today is waiting on something. For many, maybe most of us, waiting can be difficult. We want the answer to the test results, the election results, the investment returns, and even our fast-food order to arrive quickly and exactly as we desired them to be. We know, of course, that things don’t always happen the way and in the timeline that we want them to work. 

What about our prayers? There are some prayers that receive a quick reply. And there are many prayers that we may believe must be answered today, yet we find ourselves waiting on God, wondering if he really sees and understands our situation.

I have a favorite verse of scripture from the last chapter of Micah:

“But as for me, I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me.”

As people of faith, we are usually pretty good at the first part of this verse. In times of trouble, we know to look to the Lord. Our faith is built on the firm foundation of our confidence in Jesus and in the truth of scripture, so we know to look to the Lord for help. It is the second part of this verse where we usually struggle: “I will wait for the God of my salvation.” 

Waiting on God is the harder thing. We may not like it, but we understand that we often have to wait on the imperfect people around us. But waiting on the all-knowing, all wise, and all-powerful God is different. We expect him to move according to our expectations. Verses that suggest that we need to wait just don’t sit right with our expectations, which of course is our problem. We want God to work according to our preferences as if we know best.

When we pull out of this one verse in Micah and read the whole chapter, we discover that one of the missing pieces of our faith journey is our avoidance of the practice of lament. By the time we get to chapter seven, we have read of both God’s judgment but also of his plan to renew and restore all things. In chapter seven, we find the prophet filled with lament over the condition of society, the nation, and people in general. Micah’s grief included the condition of families, as sons and their fathers, mothers and daughters, in laws, all were divided in how they thought things should be. This brought sadness, grief, and remorse to the prophet’s heart. No one was able to trust in anyone around them. 

But then comes this verse of encouragement and strength: “But as for me, I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me.” Micah realized that in the total decay of society and family relationships, the one place he could find refuge and help was in the Lord.

When we get to the final verses of Micah, we discover the promises we know well: God is faithful. Micah reminds us that there is no one like our God! He is faithful, and he is working, even when we can’t see it, to bring justice where there is injustice and provision where there is scarcity and hope where and when we struggle to find it. 

Micah reminds us that God has taken care of our biggest problem, our sin: “You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.” If God can resolve our sin problem, then we can have full confidence that any and every other situation we are facing he can handle. Micah said, “My God will hear me.” If God can hear us, then as Jesus said, he won’t give us a snake when we ask for a fish!  

“What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

Father, we struggle with waiting. Increase our faith to trust you fully while we wait. You are our good Father, and we know you understand our needs. We grieve over the mess our world is in, yet we trust that you are right now working to bring your perfect plan to fruition when all that is broken will be restored. Today, we ask you to meet us in our time of need. May your will be done in our situation and in every situation here on earth as it is in heaven. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Your Time with God’s Word
Micah 7:1-20; Luke 11:11-13 ESV

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Dean Collins

Pastor, campus minister, counselor, corporate employee, Fortune 500 consultant, college president—Dean brings a wide range of experiences and perspectives to his daily walk with God’s Word. 

In 1979 he founded Auburn Christian Fellowship, a nondenominational campus ministry that still thrives today. In 1989 he founded and became executive director for New Directions Counseling Center, a service that grew to include several locations and counselors. In 1996 he became vice president of human resources for the CheckFree Corporation (3,000 employees) till founding DC Consulting in 1999. He continues part-time service with that company, offering executive leadership coaching, organizational effectiveness advice, and help with optimizing business relationships.

His latest pursuit, president of Point University since 2006 (interim president 2006-2009), has seen the college grow in enrollment, curriculum, physical campus, and athletic offerings. He led the school’s 2012 name change and relocation from Atlanta Christian College, East Point, Georgia, to Point University in West Point, Georgia. Meanwhile, he serves as board member or active volunteer with several nonprofits addressing issues ranging from global immunization to local government and education. 

He lives in Lanett, Alabama, with his wife, Penny. He has four children (two married) and five grandchildren. He plays the guitar, likes to cook, and enjoys getting outdoors, often on a nearby golf course. 

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What the Lord Requires