Seasons Of Wait
“…Those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth…” Psm 37:9KJV
Waiting isn’t easy. Perhaps the culture I grew up in. Whatever the excuse, ‘now’ sounds much more positive, then ‘later.’
One blustery return trip from Quebec, I’d called the Ram dealership, asking to have a filter changed on Lou’s truck. ‘Bring it right over, no waiting.’ Excellent timing, Lou told me.
Exhausted from the thousand miles of road time, ‘now’ timing— great. ‘Bring the truck right inside,’ the service manager said. ‘We’ll be finished very soon.’
Four hours later, I was struggling with my Christianity. The last hour, I’d prayed, ‘God keep me Christlike.’ I passed simmer and started boiling. Suffering in an uncomfortable chair, forced to watch television programing I hated, peace left.
Waiting at a garage is vastly different than waiting for God to answer a prayer. There was a prayer, for one of my children, laid before His throne from 1981. This type of waiting is different. God’s name is Faithful and True, (See Rev. 19:11), He didn’t fail. His answer was worth the wait.
There are rewards for waiting:
Isaiah 30:18NIV “…For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!”
Isaiah 40:31NASB “…those who wait for the Lord Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.”
Paul said God has a purpose in suffering, troubles, difficulties, even waiting creates within us patience. Romans 5:3-5KJV “we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed…”
When our hope is placed in God we find the purpose of waiting. “…the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, On those who hope for His lovingkindness. To deliver their soul from death, And to keep them alive in famine.” Psalm 33:18-19NASB
Abraham waited for twenty-five years: made multiple errors: still God blessed him with the son of promise. (Read Genesis 14-21). David was anointed king over Israel— 1Samuel 16:13. Then waited for over twenty years to become king of Israel; suffering many things at the hand of King Saul. Even after Saul’s death, he still waited before becoming king. God has ‘seasons of wait.’
Paul rode to Damascus to kill Christians. Jesus knocked him off of his high horse; temporarily blinded him; waiting three days, he was ready to listen to God. Having surrendered to Jesus; totally turned his life around; no one accepted or trusted him. Fellow Christians sent him home to wait— Acts 9:30NLT “…they took him down to Caesarea and sent him away to Tarsus, his hometown.” His ‘season of wait’ was being taught by Holy Spirit, lasting fourteen years, (See Galatians 2:1).
I was positive, praying, repenting day and night, believing God would rescue our nation from this satanic stranglehold of communism. Nothing happened per my plan. Yet, I believe He will somehow. But meantime, we’re in a ‘season of wait.’
As much as we don’t like them, God places ‘seasons of wait’ in our lives. These are the pathways where we learn the way to hope in Him alone. We may wiggle making errors. Fish also wiggle, until they die. And die is what we must do. Die to everything we’ve made more important than God. In the ‘season of wait’ we learn to let go, to endure and hope in the One Who is more interested in our holiness than our comfort. Why? Because on the faithful will inherit the earth.
Will we wait in calm surrender? Unhappily like I did at the garage? Or wiggling? It’s your choice. You choose.
PRAYER: Almighty God, There is such a blessing in calmly trusting and depending upon You. Bring our hearts around to calmly wait upon You and Your timing, in Jesus’ name I pray.
by Debbie Veilleux
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