The one for me.

Have you ever had a cup of the coffee they serve in hotel hallways of lobbies? Early in the morning the people at the front desk put a pot of coffee out on a little table with powdered creamers next to some Styrofoam cups. It’s not the best-tasting stuff--and may have been sitting there for hours. Sometimes when I’m traveling, I’ll spot the coffee, sniff the aroma, and often I’m tempted to scarf down a cup. If I’m in a hurry, I’m thinking less about quality and more about caffeine!

Ah, but if I know there’s a gourmet coffee kiosk at the airport, serving up a fresh ground heavenly brew, then I say, “Hmmm, I think I can wait a half hour.” I know it will pay off. I think of that which is higher quality. It takes a little self-control, and it means putting pleasure on hold, but I do it in anticipation of an even greater pleasure on the horizon.

This is at least some of what it means to “wait on the Lord.” Waiting on God does not mean passive indifference--hanging, around and doing nothing. It has more to do with saying no to impulsive, spur-of-the-moment actions or decisions, and by so doing, saying yes to something you know will satisfy much better on down the line. Those who have not yet learned how to wait on the Lord may tend to indulge in something immediate that only half satisfies. But Christians who have fostered a degree of self-control--Christians who know God better--don't mind putting pleasure on hold. They know something better is brewing down the line.