Waiting on God

Are you waiting on something from God? Are you able to be patient and stand firm?

James 5:8 You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near.

A mother was preparing pancakes for her sons, Kevin, age five and Ryan, three. The boys began to argue over who would get the first pancake. Their mother saw the opportunity for a moral lesson so she said; "Now boys, if Jesus were sitting here, He would say, 'Let my brother have the first pancake. I can wait.'" Kevin turned to his younger brother and said, "Ryan, you be Jesus."
This story cracked me up, but how true is it of our lives? We want what we want and we want it now!

M.H. Lount taught that "God's best gifts come slowly. We could not use them if they did not. Many a man, called of God to... a work in which he is pouring out his life, is convinced that the Lord means to bring his efforts to a successful conclusion. Nevertheless, even such a confident worker grows discouraged at times and worries because results do not come as rapidly as he would desire. But growth and strength in waiting are results often greater than the end so impatiently longed for. Paul had time to realize this as he lay in prison. “But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it” Romans 8:25. Moses must have asked, 'Why?' many times during the delays in Midian and in the wilderness. Jesus Himself experienced the discipline of delay in His silent years before His great public ministry began."

I do not think I have ever met anyone who said that they enjoy waiting on anything. It is not our nature to enjoy waiting. We want everything instantly, and in today’s society, instant is attainable in many ways. The problem is that we get what we want at times, through our own manipulation, and the end resulting is either non-satisfying or even destructive at times. Manipulation is of the devil and will always bring un-Godly results.

On the other hand, those who wait upon the Lord will be strengthened and empowered in ways that are often beyond our human understanding. “Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; 31 but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Isaiah 40:30-31 The problem comes when we always attempt to reason out in our minds just what God is doing, instead of simply drawing closer to Him each day, and walking in and trusting in His faithfulness to finish the work that He began in us.

The key to waiting in peace will be what we do with our lives during the waiting periods. If we spend the majority of our time in stressing and/or manipulating, we will find the waiting painful and often depressing. On the other hand, if we can begin to learn to rest in and rely on God’s faithfulness, we will find a peace that passes our human understanding. A peace, that even though our circumstances may look and feel as gloomy as Jobs, will not cause our faith to fail and sustain us until the redemption of God draws near! "If a man dies, will he live again? All the days of my struggle I will wait until my change comes” Job 14:14.

Perhaps you've been waiting on something for a long time and you're weary. You're not alone! Let's ask the Lord to renew our hearts and desires today, and give us a fresh infilling of strength to wait on His perfect timing. Good things come to those who WAIT!

Lord, cause us to rest in You and find the peace we need each day to wait upon what You are accomplishing in our lives. Draw us closer to You each day and help us to rest in Your faithfulness to us. In Jesus name we pray, Amen