Thoughts on waiting

We live in a culture of instant gratification.  Instant communication is available through e-mail, cell phones, and social network sites.  Cravings for midnight snacks at your favorite restaurant can be satisfied because the drive through is open 24 hours a day (or at least very late into the night).  Instant purchasing power is available through putting your acquisition on a credit card.  Once again, it’s an instant gratification, have it right now, culture.  Because of this it’s difficult to sell how God asks us to go through times of waiting on Him.  Yet this is an undeniable reality.

For instance, maybe you are waiting for God to open a door of ministry.  You feel like you want to serve the Lord, but the door just isn’t opening; God wants you to wait on Him.  Or maybe you are waiting for God to lead you to your future wife or husband.  You feel like you’ve been called to marriage, but the right person hasn’t arrived; God wants you to wait on Him.  Here’s a practical example: maybe you are unemployed and you need work.  But despite all you’ve done to try to find work, a job hasn’t presented itself; God wants you to wait on Him.

If you look at the pages of the Bible, you see the topic of waiting is brought up frequently.   Hebrews 6:13-15 is one such example.  It talks about how God promised many descendants to Abraham.  Verse 15 is powerful: “And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised."  Isaiah 64:4 says that God “acts on behalf of those who wait for him.”  Psalm 37:7: “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him.”  Dozens more could be cited.

Is waiting on God easy?  The answer is absolutely not!  I know this from personal experience.  Frankly, I am waiting on God for many things at this point in my life, too many to get into right now.  I know the agony that can often be associated with waiting on God.  So if you are in a waiting period in your life, understand that I know exactly how that feels.  Waiting on God isn’t easy, but the message proclaimed in the pages of the Word of God is that the choice to do so is unmistakably worth it!  I’m convinced that God is able to orchestrate the details of our lives in a way that will make us fall on our knees and cry out in praise and adoration, “Lord, You are amazing!  I’m so glad I chose to wait on You.”

Kevin

“Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord” - Psalm 27:14