by David Brenneman
Life Principle 14: God acts on behalf of those who wait for Him.
In this hurry-up world, waiting for anything can cause us to lose our temper and our good sense more often than we care to admit. Yet the Word of God insists we learn some of life’s greatest lessons while we wait. Though waiting rooms can be hard classrooms, God promises vast reward to those who wait for Him.
When we wait on God …
We discover His will.
God does not allow delay in giving us the desire of our hearts to lead us along. Rather, even as we wait, He reveals His will to us and works all things together for our good and His glory (Rom. 8:28).
We receive supernatural energy and strength.
As God deepens our relationship with Him through times of waiting, He also increases our energy, faith, endurance, and strength (Isa. 40: 29-31).
We’re victorious in battle.
When we do things our way in our time, we end up defeated. But when we wait on God and obey His commands, He ensures our victory (Prov. 20:22).
We see the fulfillment of our faith.
Though others may encourage us to forge ahead instead of waiting on the Lord, we must remember He’s the only One who can truly help us and who will never let us down (Is. 49:23).
We witness Him working on our behalf.
While we actively wait, God actively works (Is. 64:4). Every single day, we have the greatest Mediator working on our behalf. And even when things seem to go wrong, He’s making sure that everything works according to His purpose. What a wonderful promise!
Although waiting can be one of the more difficult things in the Christian life, it’s not wasted time. God gives us instructions through periods of actively waiting, keeps us in step with His will, prepares us for His answers, and uses the time to sift our motives and strengthen our faith. When we choose to wait on Him, God will use the long pauses in our lives for our blessing—both large and unexpected—if we let Him. - Life Principles Devotional on the Bible app, Dr. Charles Stanley.
Waiting has never been my forte, probably not for you as well.
Yet waiting on God's timing is a requirement to the reception of what comes from Him through prayer.
When runners prepare for a race, their stamina is built upon the premise that a race pace must be established. While others in the same race burn out early a runner who has patience makes it to the end in their proper time, based on the pace established in their training.
"Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us," Hebrews 12:1.
"Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win." 1 Corinthians 9:24.
"I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:14.
Waiting on God teaches us many things, among which is learning to adapt to His timing. When He established a time table He will see to it that it's met. Daniel prayed several times a day. When he saw in the Scriptures that the days of the exile were completed then he prayed specifically for the Lord to do what He said He would do. The only delay was in the personal response to Daniel, not in the Lord keeping His word.
Waiting through learning a race pace teaches us to conserve and to better use what we do have.
Waiting weeds out unnecessary wants and desires from true needs.
Waiting accomplishes much when it's being directed by the Spirit of God.
We may not understand it. I certainly am in a 6 plus month long period of not really understanding what I am going through. But I do know that I have been shown time and again His provision when it was needed...while I am being taught and told to be patient.
God loves us more deeply than we can fathom in our finite mind.
God's more interested in our sanctification than our satisfaction with what we perceive in our lives.
We are in training in righteousness when we're at the feet of Jesus. We're to take in His Word daily as our spiritual nourishment. We are going to have times where we're shown what needs to leave our lives in order to keep with the program of God's sanctifying work in us.
All this and more awaits those who are patiently waiting on God.
God is never obligated to explain why He’s done or is doing what we go through in our lives.
Proverbs 3:5-6 is pretty clear about that. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight." No where in there is there any promise of a full or partial explanation of your season of life.
Staying in the Word of God daily puts it we within us where it will eventually do the most good.
The training regimen of a runner includes nutrients that will only interact with the runners body when the situation warrants it.
Patience is something that we are not acclimated to. It's not something we choose. It's something we are taught.
Prayer must accompany learning patience. Jesus wants to hear from us. Letting go of things in life is also something that comes from learning to wait on God. We are shown what needs to go and are given the opportunity to do it.
A runner in preparation for a race has to choose what's more important, whatever is in front of them or finishing the race well.
We, in learning to be patient, learn what's truly important in the eyes of God. It's then on us to make the adjustments to align with Him.
So don't despair of having to wait.
Thank God for the opportunity and obey as the Spirit leads.
All NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission.
New American Standard Bible
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