Isaiah 40:31--But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they
shall run , and not be weary ; and they shall walk , and not faint .
You’ve heard
it all before—the fast-paced world that we live in today creates for us a “microwave
society.” We want everything now, instantly, with no hassle, no waiting, and
our patience seems to get thinner every day to the point that it starts to
become non-existent. From fast food to online shopping to Uncle Ben’s Minute
Rice, society has become more impatient and less interested in letting time run
its course.
In the same
way that we become impatient with the things of the world, we also have started
to become more impatient with God. We claim that we have faith in God when we pray
for healing, financial breakthroughs, and clarity regarding our future. But
when God does not answer those prayers as quickly as we would like, we become
impatient, frustrated, and sometimes doubtful that God can do what we have
asked.
I have learned
over the years that God does not operate on our time schedules. My Godmother,
Pam, always told me that “God makes all things beautiful in His time”, and it
wasn’t until I was older that I began to realize how true those words are.
When we don’t
learn to wait on God, we get frustrated and try to do things on our own, which
causes confusion and chaos. One thing that we must understand is that God does
not move quicker just because of our frustration. I believe God uses those
waiting periods to help us grow in our faith and trust in the One who created
time in the first place. The frustrating thing is that when God does not answer our prayers as quickly as we desire, we have a tendency to feel that God has
abandoned us, ignored our cries, or that God is not concerned at all.
I had a
conversation with someone on how frustrating it can be to feel like you have
been waiting your whole life for things to happen, yet in the midst of that
frustration, I kept doing whatever I could to keep myself prepared. What that
means is that when an opportunity comes your way, you have to be ready to grab
it when the door opens. We can’t continue to let opportunities slip past us because
we are not prepared. If we do that, then what was all the waiting for?
Consider the
life of Jesus--He was on this earth for 30 years before His ministry started,
yet He spent His whole life preparing. From the time that He was a little boy,
He knew that He had to set Himself apart because He understood that He had a
purpose in life, and that He had to be ready when God opened the door and told
Him to move.
What about you?
How long have you been waiting for God to do something in your life that you
have been praying about? Has it gotten to the point that it’s been so long that
you almost want to give up because you don’t think God will ever answer your
prayers? I encourage you to HOLD ON
during your waiting period because even when you feel that God is being silent,
God is STILL MOVING on your
behalf and working EVERYTHING out
for your good.
So get busy!
Start doing whatever is necessary to prepare yourself for God’s opportunities. Whatever
you’re waiting for (career, owning a business, getting a degree, improved
health), put your doubts and fears in God’s hands and leave them there. Don’t
pick them back up and continue to worry about how things will work out. Choose
today to leave your cares in God’s hands, walk away from it, and stand back to
watch God work!! I promise---you WON’T
be disappointed!!
