For Christians having faith to wait is very important, it’s just never easy. Have you ever had an appointment at a doctors office where the doctor was late? You arrived early signed in and sat down, hoping to get in a little early. Only to be left sitting for thirty minutes, which felt like a lifetime. Then you get called back to an examining room and hope is restored. Maybe you will actually get through this appointment before your next birthday. After more waiting, you begin to wonder if you will ever see this doctor.
Finally, in the doctor’s own time, they show up and complete your appointment. If you are a like me you probably left a little bitter. However, you do not know what was going on that you couldn’t see. This is often the same way we feel when waiting for a blessing from God. We can’t see behind the scenes so we must have the faith to wait.
Is it easy to wait on God? No, we always think things should happen faster then they do. Thankfully we have proof that waiting on God pays off. The Bible is filled with accounts where people must wait to receive from God. Beyond that, we have songs and scriptures that remind us that God is in control.
Abrahams Wait For A Son
It is believed that Abraham was 75 years old when God called him. At the time he had no children, but God said he would become the father of a nation. Abraham was far beyond the age, we would expect someone to be able to father a child. Abraham believed in God’s promise and began to wait. While Abraham was willing to wait as long as it took his wife Sarah started to question the situation.
After about 10 years Sarah told Abraham that maybe he is supposed to be the father of a great nation, but she is not supposed to be the mother. Ultimately convincing him to have a child with her handmaid. Abraham agreed and had a son named Ishmael. While this was a son of Abraham it was not the one God had promised so they were forced to wait again.
14 years latter Abraham was told Sarah would give birth to his son in one year. Sarah still had a hard time believing this was possible. Thankfully Abraham trusted God and was willing to wait. As promised one year later Sarah gave birth to Isaac. This fulfilled the promise of God and made Abraham the father of many nations. This story should stick with us because it is how many of us would react to waiting 25 years. We would have times where we questioned if it was coming. We may try to find another way. But in the end, if we trust in God he will provide as he promised. If God could do it for Abraham he can still do the same for us today.
400 Years Of Silence
God speaking through prophets was very
You would think this would be enough to destroy the faith of the people of Israel. That could not be farther from the truth though. God had promised his people a messiah. The Israelites trusted God and had the faith to wait as long as it would take. In fact, the Jewish people are still waiting because they do not accept Jesus as the Messiah.
We can learn a lot about from this example of faith. Even though they have not heard from God for years they still believe. Many Christians have a hard time even waiting an hour for God to answer their prayers. We need to have faith to wait like the Jews waiting in silence. Just knowing that our God will come through. Even if it takes years.
Saul Couldn’t Wait
1 Samuel 13:8-14
8 Saul waited there seven days for Samuel, as Samuel had instructed him earlier, but Samuel still didn’t come. Saul realized that his troops were rapidly slipping away.
9 So he demanded, “Bring me the burnt offering and the peace offerings!” And Saul sacrificed the burnt offering himself.
10 Just as Saul was finishing with the burnt offering, Samuel arrived. Saul went out to meet and welcome him,
11 but Samuel said, “What is this you have done?” Saul replied, “I saw my men scattering from me, and you didn’t arrive when you said you would, and the Philistines are at Micmash ready for battle.
12 So I said, ‘The Philistines are ready to march against us at Gilgal, and I haven’t even asked for the Lord’s help!’ So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering myself before you came.”
13 “How foolish!” Samuel exclaimed. “You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you. Had you kept it, the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever.
14 But now your kingdom must end, for the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart. The Lord has already appointed him to be the leader of his people because you have not kept the Lord’s command.”
Up to this point we have talked about the importance of having faith to wait. Showing that if you are willing to wait for a blessing one will often follow. But what happens when you are impatient? When you decide you want to try to solve the problem yourself. Saul is a perfect example of someone who ultimately lost it all because he was not willing to wait. By performing the sacrifice himself he showed God he wasn’t willing to trust in him or his servant.
This one act is what started Saul’s downfall. God chooses a new king, someone who truly loves the Lord and is willing to give him his all. That new is King David. Saul could have remanded king over Israel for the rest of his life, but we didn’t have faith to wait. What have we missed out on because we could not wait? Because we took the matter into our own hands?
God Is Always Working
In the intro to this article, we talked about waiting
Even when I don’t see it, You’re working
And even when I don’t feel it, You’re working
You never stop, You never stop working
Way Maker – Bridge Excerpt
An Incomprehensible Timeline
Let’s just be honest time already does not make much sense. When you want to time to pass quickly it crawls by so slow even your grandma could pass it on the highway. When you want time to slow down it flies by so quick it’ll mess up your hair. Well unless your an apostolic women cause nothing can come against that much hair spray. Then you add in an all-knowing omnipresent creator and things really start to get confusing. The Bible explains God’s timeline in
2 Peter 3:8.
8 But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day.
That verse alone is enough to show that we will never understand the timeline of God. Which is okay, because we are not expected to. So don’t stress out over when your blessing will come. Have the faith to wait, all the while knowing that God is always working and if he has done it before he can do it again. Find joy in knowing that in the right season God will reveal his work.
Ecclesiastes 3:1
For everything, there is a season,
a time for every activity under heaven.
Just Keep Waiting
I know it is hard to wait on God, especially when you have been waiting for years. But as we have shown throughout this article God does not forsake his people. He will come through at just the right time. Do not lose your faith because of the wait instead keep praying. Show God that you trust him and that no matter what you are willing to wait until the right time comes.
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