What Are You Waiting For?

A Christian Pop group called, “For King and Country” released an album on March 11, 2022, called, “What Are We Waiting For? Incidentally, there was not a song on the album by that name, however, on June 16, 2023, they released said song as a single, which then prompted a deluxe album thereafter. The group consists of two brothers, Luke and Joel Smallbone, who collaborated in the writing of the song, and it also features the renown Cece Winans on it. Though I have heard the song before and remembered the upbeat, catchy tempo, and the one line, ‘What are you waiting for?’, I had not fully or really heard the entirety of the message of it until recently while driving out of town for work. We are so often guilty of this, which is an indictment, because you could be listening to pure garbage and not realize it; however, in this case, the lyrics seemed to be an admonishment from the Lord, a pleading, a thought provoking sermon. The Book of Revelation states seven times, with God addressing the seven churches, “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.”  

In our lives we spend so much time wanting, searching, thinking about what to do or not do, planning, proposing ideas, hunting, gathering, reaching but not attaining or getting anywhere. We get so caught up in taking pictures and selfies that we forget to enjoy and savor the moment we are in, not realizing that the most valuable ‘photos’ will be the memories that we cherish in years to come, even if we can no longer see with our eyes, or hear with our ears. The song makes this statement, “What are we waiting for? Why are we wasting all the time like someone’s making more”?

God made this beautiful creation called ‘Earth’ for us to enjoy, with ‘time’ being put into motion on day four. Genesis 1:14-19 tells us,  “And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good. And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.” This will not change, until the earth passes away. Therefore, the time we have been given each day is what we must work with.

This physical body, this earthen vessel, that God has given us, requires sleep and rest. So, of the twenty-four hours we have per day we must subtract at least eight hours right off the top, for sleep. This should not be negotiable. Even in the life of Christ on earth, we see that he made specific times to rest, get away, fellowship with his disciples and others, and sleep. If we neglect this, we will be lethargic, dragging, and unproductive in the time we have left. It is ‘elementary, Watson.’ As Sherlock Holmes would say. Well, this leaves us sixteen hours, of which we all probably must give at least eight of those or more to ‘Uncle Sam.’  Though I am not particularly good at math, this whittles our time down to a mere eight hours left to accomplish anything else. Thank the Lord for weekends! Can I get a witness on that? I said all that to say, this will not change, there will be no more time given to us, so we must work within the perimeters we have been allotted.

Life and work balance is a hot topic in employment circles right now. Employers are seeing how important it is to productivity to have employees who are rested, contented, and emotionally and mentally stable. They are investing untold sums into educating their staff in this area, hoping they will reap great dividends in the end. The scripture refers to balance as moderation, or temperance. Galatians 5:22-23 tells us, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”  I know that many people put emphasis on the first portion of that scripture; however, my focus has always been on the last item listed, temperance, because this will be the governor, modulator if you will, of all the others. It will control our emotions, and conduct, towards our families, churches, communities, and employment. Philippians 4:5 tells, “Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.” 1 Corinthians 9:25 says, “And every man that strives for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we, an incorruptible.”

We have all heard of extremists, and most of the time we do not think of them fondly. The pendulum of their life can go to the extreme left, or right, or vacillate to either end at any given moment. They are not allowing the fruit of the Spirit to be their metronome or moderator. They may not have all bad or wrong ideas, but because they have no balance, they will get off kelter in whatever project they are involved in. After we accept the gift of His Spirit, we must allow it to be the balancing agent in our lives so that we make the best of the time we have.

The song goes on to say, “What are you saving for?”  We go through life skimping and saving so we can have something to leave for our children when we are gone. Though this is not all bad, and it may be wise to save for our retirement, emergencies, or our future, we must realize that if we do not enjoy life while we are here, we will not be able to take anything with us. We need to learn to relax and enjoy life more. Yes, the struggle is real. Many of us live from paycheck to paycheck, and we know that groceries are over the top expensive, but we can buy an ice-cream cone occasionally. You can be innovative, creative, and still be frugal. Though we could not give our kids everything they wanted when they were growing up, we tried to make them feel special in small ways. Though we never had a savings account, or more than two pennies to rub together, they have great childhood memories and never felt neglected.

If you cannot go on a long, far away vacation, you can do fun things with your family. Just spending time with them makes them feel loved and special. Use the talents you have been given not only at work, at church or in your communities, but in your family life as well. Holding on too tightly to material things will only keep you in a prison and hold those you love at bay. Invest in those you love. Job 1:21 stated, “Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” In Ecclesiastes 5:15 the wisest and richest man, King Solomon stated, “As he came forth of his mother’s womb, naked shall he return to go as he came, and shall take nothing of his labor, which he may carry away in his hand.”

The song then says, “We can’t be what we can’t see.” I grew up in South Africa as a missionary’s kid. We were always taught that your desire and burden would only go as far as your exposure. If you are living in a bubble, you are not going to know or aspire to anything else. If you are happy to just be, “your four and no more,” you will not flourish beyond that. If we have the attitude that we just do things the way we do because our father, mother, or grandparents did it that way, there will be no opportunity for change. If we do not want to just go through life merely existing, finding a better way of doing things, especially if your upbringing was not the best, is imperative for living the abundant life that Jesus promised us. John 10:10 says, “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy, I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” We should venture out and build new relationships and open our hearts and perspectives to the diverse cultures, peoples, and possibilities that are out there for us to enjoy. This is accomplished through communication and forward motion.

Continuing with our song lyrics we see these lines. “We can’t speak when we can’t breathe, and we can’t dance if we don’t move our feet.”  Hopes and dreams, thinking, planning, and meditation will only take us so far. We need action to make these dreams come true. Just by having a ‘honey-do’ list as long as our arms or looking at something that has been needing repair or attention for years will not accomplish anything. There must be action. We must move our feet if we want to dance. We must put our apprehensions and fears aside because they will keep us frozen and immobile. Break out of your comfort zone, stretch yourself, and try something different. What are you waiting for? Just do it. You will not be alone; the Lord will take this journey with you. Hebrews 13:5 admonishes us, “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”

“What are you praying for,” the song asks. If you are praying for something in faith, believing, then God will hear and answer you. We see this in scripture and know it in our intellect but have not embraced it fully in spirit. James 1:6-8 says, “But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavers, is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.”  We must believe and accept the answer that God is giving us instead of rejecting it just because it is not what we wanted to hear. You must be willing and ready to move forward in the direction he is leading you in. James 4:2 says, “Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.”

Another great line and a profound question from the song is, “What if we could be a light that someone could not ignore?”  Imagine that! What if our light was so bright that it not only illuminated our pathway but led others to Jesus as well. In this crazy murky world, we all need help finding our way. There are always unexpected obstacles that we need to see in our way so we can avoid them. I used to be fascinated with strobe lights as a child. They would light up the sky at night and point the way to a sale, or an establishment, but they could be seen from miles away. I have seen pictures of the Northern Lights, but have never got to experience them personally, however, our lives could be a light show for someone else to enjoy, just like fireworks on the 4^th of July. We need to shine so brightly for Christ, that others will not be able to ignore us.

Finally, our song continues with this admonishment. “Put the pen on a new page. Dream about what you could change and live it out before it’s too late. The beauty of it is, we’ve just one life to live, and no one knows what happens next. What are we waiting for?” We are so good at planning, let us put those plans into action. Write it down, so you can see what needs to be changed and how you can change things. We must start developing our ‘follow through’ skills. The country folk used to say, “I’ll get around to it.” However, you might see them a month later and question them on the same project and they will assure you that they will ‘get around to it.’ Yet that day never comes. This became so widespread that they began to manufacture small round wooden disks that said, “A Round Tuit” on them to sell in souvenir stores. Of course, this is all in jest, and a money making scheme; however, it is a valid question. When will we get around to doing, and finish what we have started?

You are the only one who can make the necessary changes in your life, with the help of the Lord. This will be a partnership worth forging. We recently took a vacation on the back of our motorcycle, as I have mentioned before. We drove from Tennessee to Washington State and back. Captain Meriwether Lewis and Lieutenant William Clark from 1804-1806, forged a partnership and built a team to explore the newly acquired Louisiana Territory. Appointed by President Thomas Jefferson, they set out, searching for the route to the Pacific Ocean, which would facilitate the shipping of goods to the territory. We saw evidence of their presence all along the way for over five thousand miles. As we left Lewiston, Idaho, we crossed over the state line and found ourselves in a small town called Clarkston, Washington. What a feat! They found the origin of the Missouri River high in the Rocky Mountains of Montana, as well as the Pacific Ocean on the west coast of Washington, which opened a whole new world of commerce and trade.

They made many new discoveries along the way, which contributed to scientific research in biodiversity, topography, and geography of the western territories. They created detailed maps that would facilitate future exploration and settlement of the western territories. They establish trade relations with Native American tribes and assess the economic potential of the region. They expanded American knowledge and influence in the West. There are now museums, lookout points, and monuments in their honor all along their journey. Though they fought through trials and tribulations, they definitely made their mark on their world. Yet, none of this would have happened if they had not moved their feet.

If you are sitting around waiting for something to happen to you, or for you, it will never happen. If you are waiting for love or an extraordinary job to come to you as you hide in your bubble, get up and do something, because nothing will happen without forward moving action. If we just breathe and trust in the Lord, we will be able to speak. If we move our feet we will be able to dance or do those unexpected things that might be presented to us.

Jesus told his disciples in Matthew 5:14-16, “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”  This shows deliberate and intentional action. The word of God is a living word, and is applicable to every race, culture, creed, and nation, even in 2025. In John 5:39 Jesus said, “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.”

We can get to know the Lord more intimately and form a relationship with him, that will help us navigate through this world. His word will be our new mapping system. We see our life as being filled with trials and tribulations or we could look at it as being filled with explorations and adventures, with Jesus by our side. Either way, let us take a pen to a new page and find out what needs to be changed in our lives so we can advance forward and achieve remarkable things. With Philippians 4:13 being our mantra, which says, “I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me.”  The song finishes with, “If I love better, and you love better, our love will live on forever.”  Okay, let me ask you to sum it up. What are you waiting for?