WAITING ON THE LORD

Recently, my wife, Terry, and I had the pleasure of escaping the humdrum and driving to Columbus for dinner.  We had a wonderful time enjoying one another's company and relishing some of our favorite foods.  One thing that helped make the experience memorable was the server that took care of us. 

 

We have learned that the right server can make the difference between an enjoyable and a vexing time dining out.  Believe me, we have had some bad servers before.  There are those who serve your meal ok, but then don't show up again till it's time to settle the bill.  It's too bad if you have dirty utensils, are missing something, or have a fly in your soup!  I've had to flag down another server before to help us because ours couldn't be found. 

 

Then there are those "hoverers" who think that they aren't doing a good job if they don't check on you every five minutes, which would be alright if they did it unobtrusively; but they feel they must interrupt your intimate conversation to ask, "Is everything ok?" 

 

Oh, and what about the talkers?  They're the ones who strike up a conversation with one of you, and keep coming back to continue the conversation every chance they get.  It's as though you came in just to spend time with them, and not your loved one.

 

A really good server, in my opinion, is one who does not have to be told what you need - they anticipate your needs before you ask.  If my glass is getting empty, a fresh one is there before I can swallow the last bit of the old one.  If I need extra napkins, they are there with a clean stack before I even realize that I am going to need another.  They seem to be able to sense when the meal is winding down; and before we have to ask, they are there to see if we are ready to check out.  They are pleasant, and helpful, but not pushy.  They will check on you a couple of times through the course of the meal, but never interrupt you if you are engaged with your party.  They simply make their presence known so that you can summon them if there is a need or want.  I don't believe that you can only find good servers in expensive restaurants either.  I have found them at all levels of eateries.

 

Not all that long ago, servers were referred to as waiters and waitresses.  This was because their main function was to wait on their guests.  The picture that I have in my mind is of the master sitting at his table in a great house and his servant standing off to the side watching him and waiting to serve him whenever he is needed.   Of course, I am drawing a picture of our relationship with Jesus, our Lord and Master.  We, as servants of the Lord, must learn to wait.  If our Master requires something of us, we must not be so occupied with other things that we cannot hear Him.  Our lives must be about waiting on Him.  While anticipating one's needs is usually a good thing, we must not be too presumptuous and think that we know everything our Lord wants us to do before He asks us.  If my waiter brings me another iced tea, but I wanted to switch to a soda, he has failed to satisfy my want even though it seemed reasonable to assume that I would want the same thing I had been drinking.

 

King Saul got himself in trouble with God because he acted on his own rather than waiting for Samuel to come as he had promised and make an offering to the Lord (1 Samuel 13:11-14).  Abraham allowed Sarah to persuade him to take her handmaid, Hagar, rather than wait on the Lord to fulfill the promise in His good time.  We know the problems that have been brought on the world because of that choice!  Ishmael was not the seed that God had promised, but his seed became a mighty nation too; and the Arabs have vexed Israel ever since.  We, too, often act before we have prayed and sought the Lord to know what He would have us to do.  Because of this, we suffer disappointments, and create situations that would have gone much smoother if we had just waited to see how God would direct us.

 

Waiting is never the easy choice to make, especially in this fast-paced world; but it is imperative that we learn it when it comes to serving the Lord.  It is God Who directs our labors, not we who direct His! 

 

"Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD." (Psalm 27:14).