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Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you
compassion.
For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!"
- Isaiah 30:18 NIV
No one likes to wait. Especially these days. Our society is used to
having what we want, when we want it. But this is not God's way. The Bible
is filled with stories and verses about the value of waiting on God. In
God's kingdom, timing is everything. If you look at the lives of most of
the great men and women of the Bible, you see that they had to endure long
periods of waiting before their God-given purpose was fulfilled. Abraham
had to wait many years before his promised son was born. Moses was 80 years
old before God called him to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. Joseph
endured long years of injustice before Pharoah put him in charge of all
Egypt. David suffered many years of persecution at the hands of Saul before
he became king. And the list goes on. God used periods of waiting to
prepare these people for the extraordinary blessings He had in store for them.
Sometimes it seems that God has put us on a shelf. It can be
bewildering, frustrating, and depressing. We have a hard time trying to
imagine any good coming out of it. One of the hardest parts is having to
face all of the well-meaning people who keep saying, "What are you going to
do???" You feel like you've done all that you can do. But that doesn't
stop you from trying to come up with something. Then it occurs to you that
maybe there's a way you can "help God." And you try to think of ways to
"make something happen". Listen. If you really want to help God--trust
Him. When He makes you wait, there's a good reason for it. The fact is,
there are some blessings we are never going to receive unless we wait for
them. Yes, these times of waiting are uncomfortable for us. Sometimes
they're downright painful. But if we try to make our own way instead of
waiting on God, we will miss out on God's best for us. Let me encourage you
today with some words from a man who had to do a lot of waiting in his life,
but who was blessed beyond belief. In Psalm 27:14, David says, "Wait for
the Lord; be strong and take heart, and wait for the Lord"!
Prayer: Lord, You know how hard waiting is for me. Please give me the patience
I need to wait for Your perfect timing in everything. Help me not to settle
for second best. When I'm tempted to "make something happen," speak to my
heart and remind me what my impatience can cost me. Help me to not only
wait, but to do so with a good attitude. Thank You for all the blessings
you have in store for me!
- J. M. Farro
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