Give me a word, Lord: GROWING WHILE WAITING

Romans 4:18 Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.

Psalm 27:14 Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.

James 5:7-8 Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains. You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near.

And we wait…. It seems like we are always waiting on something or someone. Waiting is hard for me. I’m a “gotta get it done and gotta get it done right now” kind of person. I don’t like to to sit idly and wait. BUT Christ has shown me through the years that He accomplishes all things in His time and not mine. And when we wait on His timing, great lessons are learned and great blessings are received while we wait. Abraham was 100 years old, and Sarah was 90 or 91 when Isaac was born. Talk about a long wait!! And those Israelites, oh those Israelites, their deliverance from Egypt took 420 years. They had to wait 40 more years before God allowed them to enter the promised land. Apparently, they had a LOT to learn!! God’s people waited generation after generation for the Messiah, and now we are awaiting His return! Yes, we wait.

My husband has frequently told me, “Good things come to those who wait.” We wait for so many things in this life. We are now awaiting the arrival of another grandchild this October. We await with excited anticipation. Some are awaiting test results. Some people are waiting for a healing. Some people are waiting for a loved one to return home from the military. We are all waiting for that lost loved one to come to Christ. This too takes time…and much waiting! Even though the weight of the wait is so very heavy, the wait is always worth it.

So, what are we to do while we wait? We can let God strengthen our faith while we are waiting. Use this time to get to know God better. Get in His word. Read your Bible while you wait. And pray, pray, pray! Talk to our heavenly Father. Bend His ear. He truly wants to hear from His kids just as we long to talk to and hear from our own parents, kids, friends, & family. Use this time to get to know God better. Ask yourself, how am I growing while I’m waiting? We’ve all grown immensely over the past year. Think about the wisdom you have gained. God has given each of us responsibilities in certain areas, but we do not have sovereignty in any area. We must remember that we are being carried on the shoulders of our Savior! Wait on Him!