The Wait.

"Therefore the LORD waits to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show mercy to you. For the LORD is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him."

(Isaiah 30:18)

Both of my children are grown now... but I remember one of the more challenging parenting skills I had to learn was "the wait." It's not the same as patience... not really. It's more self-restraint + firm resolve, mixed with a splattering of what we call in Hawaii "no shame."

The wait is necessary when your children decide to throw a fit - in public! It could be because they want something they can't have, or they don't want to do what you've asked them, or they aren't willing to go where they need to,. So they vehemently demonstrate their displeasure. If a parent hasn't honed his/her "wait" skills... they may give in too quickly, and thus reward the negative behavior (which keeps on coming). Thus the need for "the wait."

In the book of Isaiah, God has perfected "the wait." In chapter 30, God calls His people to account for the many ways they've been rebellious, unfaithful, thick-headed, and unjust. God is NOT going to let them get away with it. But God is also a God of grace and mercy. Despite our sin and failure, God doesn't abandon us. The prophet Isaiah tells the people, "Therefore the LORD waits to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show mercy to you. For the LROD is a God of justice..." (v.18). God calls us to account. And God waits. For our tantrums to end. For our willingness to go where He leads. For our choosing to follow His paths of justice (and not wallow in our own selfish endeavors). We don't have to be perfect. We just have to be willing to let God lead us.

Thank goodness for God's "wait."