Tuesday Afternoon

November 19, 2024

Those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength, they will soar on wings like eagles, they will run and not grow weary, they walk and not faint. [Isaiah 40:31]

Allow me to vent a little as I begin this Tuesday Afternoon blog on a Friday morning in the Frankfurt, Germany airport. There is a vast difference between waiting on the Lord and waiting on a delayed flight. Though trying, waiting on the Lord is embedded in hope and optimism because he is faithful to his promises and working out his good for us in Christ.

Waiting on the airlines is, well…waiting without a whole lot of optimism. Will we ever board? Will I miss my connection?

Waiting on the Lord is based in hope (that’s another way to translate the Hebrew word “wait”). And Scripture encourages not to wait for something (like a tardy flight to depart) but to wait for Someone (who is faithful). And we wait “for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13) who will then put all things to right.

My flight…not so much.

That’s all. Thanks for letting me vent. And keep waiting…on the Lord!

“Wait,” by The Beatles: Sorry, couldn’t resist. If you like, here’s a fun, upbeat song for those who wait.

Waiting On a Better Tag: We’ve known it for some time now: the term “evangelical” really doesn’t mean what it used to. This data shows that many who identify as evangelical for political polling say that they attend church once a year or less!! Meaning: What the media tells us about how our particular “religious” block may vote does not reflect our church memberships.

Waiting to See the Results: Pastors, like others in the “people business,” sometimes wonder, “Am I making a difference?” I will admit that there are times when Solomon’s words come to my mind: Then I considered all that my hands had done. . . and all was vanity and a chasing after wind (Ecclesiastes 2:11).

Then “Mr. and Mrs. T” come along. They are an Indian couple. And quite a ministry team are they! They have done everything from rescuing trafficked women to stopping child-bride weddings to helping start a school for at-risk girls and marginalized kids in their village in their homeland.

When they met us at the little airport in their village, Mr. T recounted the many classes and conferences of mine that he attended years ago in India, even quoting me again and again to the others on the team. Thank you, Mr. T. If some of my teaching has helped you in your ministry, I am grateful indeed.

I referenced them in my message this past Sunday as a couple who beautifully coordinate the teamwork of being husband and wife. You can hear that message here

Wait for It: The Cleveland Cavs are giving us all a thrill and early championship fever! But we Cleveland sports fans know all about waiting. If it weren’t for LeBron and the 2016 Cavs, most of us reading this would have waited for a championship our entire lifetimes. Here’s the roster of the longest “waiters.” We Cleveland baseball fans are number 2 on the list.

Wait, What?!: A friend with me in India struck up a conversation with a lady on his flight. She was sporting a shirt that proclaimed, “Abortion is a human right.” Curious, he asked her about it while telling her that he considered himself on the pro-life side of the debate. It turned out that she was a physician. “The abortions I perform are the last in a long line of many poor decisions these ladies are making,” she told my friend. And then this zinger: “And nearly half of those for whom I do the abortion procedure are also ‘pro-lifers.’” Yikes! (If that’s you or someone you know, ask someone at church for help. They’ll help you, not judge you—I promise.)

Waiting with Henri: One of my favorite spiritual writers, Henri Nouwen, beautifully pens the following:
“To wait with openness and trust is an enormously radical attitude toward life. It is choosing to hope that something is happening for us that is far beyond our own imaginings. It is giving up control over our future and letting God define our life. It is living with the conviction that God molds us in love, holds us in tenderness, and moves us away from the sources of our fear.”

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