............... They That Wait .................

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!!

Psalm 40:1—I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.