O Lord, I Will Wait for You!

"I think Christians fail so often to get answers to their prayers because they do not wait long enough on God. They just drop down and say a few words, and then jump up and forget it and expect God to answer them. Such praying always reminds me of the small boy ringing his neighbor's door-bell, and then running away as fast as he can go."  - E.M. Bounds

In our fast-paced, world of today, we have grown accustomed to getting what we want at once and without delay. Okay, maybe not all things are acquired right away, but enough so that we, as a society, have come to expect it.

Fast food restaurants, for example,  have thrived due to our "no-wait" mentality. We shop online because of fast, overnight delivery. For-profit schools offer education certificates in six months, or less. There are many more illustrations which I could serve up, but the idea has been conveyed.

The bottom line is: no one likes to wait! Waiting for a bus, train, plane, or a friend who is running late can cause many to literally pull their hair out! Those things that are totally outside of our control are the ones that create the most anxiety.

We may see waiting as someone being rude or impolite, or that something is determined to make our life difficult. When it comes to God, however, waiting may not be such a bad thing. In fact, it's quite the opposite (Psalm 62:5).

When we give God our supplications, whether they are asking for His help, guidance, clarity, or comfort, we don't know how quickly He will respond to us. And, there's nothing we can do once they are out of our hands, but wait. This can be very difficult for the impatient person to do.

It may appear that God has forgotten your prayers, but nothing could be further from the truth. He takes our requests very seriously. It is we, of the "gotta-have-it-now" generation, who have the problem with waiting. God's answer may not come as fast as you would like, but it will come to you (Isaiah 55:8).

Keep in mind that there may be a reason for a delay in God's answer to you. He may be trying to teach you, or bring something to your attention. Never underestimate His motivation for a period of silence. There is always an objective in how,what, and why He responds to us (Romans 5:3-4).

Sometimes He does answer promptly. But we should resist the desire to immediately act on it. Why? Because a quick, knee-jerk reaction may cause more problems in the long run. Wait patiently for God's timing. He can do a lot better job of taking care of it himself than we ever could.

No doubt there will those times when waiting will frustrate and anger us. That's just the way we are. However, waiting for God, no matter how long it takes, will require our patience and sincere devotion. We must always wait for God to move, not the other way around.

Scripture: Isaiah 40:31; 2 Peter 3:9; Micah 7:7; Colossians 1:11; 2 Peter 3:8  

Prayer: Lord, make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long. -Psalm 25:4-5 

May God bless you all!

Kasey