Wait on the LORD; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the LORD!
I recently read that the average person spends 3 years of their life…waiting. The average daily wait is between 45 and 62 minutes. Americans spend about 5 years of their lives…just waiting.
We wait in lines, at stop signs and traffic lights. We wait to be seen by a doctor. You know about that wait don’t you. That’s when you are ushered into a room, told to disrobe, and put on an embarrassingly ugly and revealing gown. Then you sit on an uncomfortable chair, seemingly forever, while reading old magazines until the doctor finally makes a five minute appearance.
Waiting is both unavoidable and even a necessary aspect of life. We must wait for flowers to grow, for babies to be born, for wounds to heal, for children to mature, for bread to rise, and for ice cream to freeze. In fact, we would categorize many things as “worth the wait.” So, waiting is not always a bad thing.
But when you are in pain or going through a personal crisis…waiting can be a most uncomfortable and disheartening experience. In those times you desperately need relief from your distress.
A few years ago I suffered a gall bladder attack. When I could get no relief from the pain, I asked my wife to take me to the emergency room. I recall standing at the admissions desk in agony hoping that someone would quickly give me something to relieve the excruciating pain. That didn’t happen. Instead, I was told they were very busy, and I would have to wait. That wait ultimately lasted three hours and seemed like an eternity.
As Christians, we experience another kind of waiting. We must wait on God. Sometimes He is quick to respond to our cries for help but it has been my experience that He often waits until the last minute. I know of people who have been waiting for the Lord’s help in a matter for many years. A reasonable question then is “Why must we wait on God?” After all, He is the God who needs only speak and it is. Nothing is impossible for Him.
When you became a Christian you entered into a faith relationship with God. You have never seen Him yet you believe in Him. But, more than faith comes the all important element of trust. That is to say that just believing in God is insufficient for becoming a Christian and having a real relationship with God through Jesus Christ. James 2:19 puts it this way: “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.” His point is that even demons believe in God. A right relationship with God requires more than just intellectual acceptance of His existence. That belief must be accompanied by complete trust.
God uses the trials of our lives to mature us in the faith. During those times He discloses the reality of our faith and exposes its flaws and weaknesses. Your faith is refined under pressure. He wants a close personal relationship with you in which you learn to trust Him completely.
There are some things in life you just can’t change or fix. These are times when you have two choices. You can make matters worse by taking matters into your own hands, or wait on God for the remedy. His way will always be the right way. He understands that trusting in Him completely and doing it His way takes courage. In today’s focus scripture we read: “Wait on the LORD; Be of good courage.” Courageously wait on God, “And He shall strengthen your heart.” If you will wait on the Lord He will give you the strength to carry you through your ordeal.
To wait on God is to anticipate His involvement, and His supernatural help. It is not a matter of “if He will help” but “when He will help.” Be confident that the Lord will give you what you need when you need it, and He will give it in His good time when He has accomplished His good purposes in you. “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28)
Back to the question, “Why must you wait on God?” Because you can and should trust Him completely. As I said previously, some things in life are worth waiting for. What could be more worthy of your waiting than God?
For more on this topic, check out this article: Heaven is Worth the Wait
Reprinted from The Forever Notebook, Book 1 (January – March) Get your copy here: Paperback and eBook/Kindle formats.
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