How long will it be? Isn’t it time yet? Why do I have to wait so long? These are a few of the questions that people ask when hedging their ability to trust God. They believe He is omnipotent, so why doesn’t He answer prayers, heal a loved one, or open doors of opportunity and success in a timely manner?
I don’t have all the answers, but I am absolutely sure that God knows best. His ways are far beyond our understanding. The Bible teaches that trials bring patience. “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations.” v.3 “knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience;” v.4 “But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing” (James 1:2-4).
God has answered enough of my prayers that my faith should soar like an eagle, but I struggle with patience. Frustration takes hold when I have to wait for answers even though I know He will provide them sooner or later. I want them today rather than waiting for tomorrow.
The nature of most people is to want things immediately, especially in this computer age. They trade in their slower computers for faster ones, because of impatience. They want data and information now instead of having to wait a few more seconds.
I seldom pray for patience, because I resist the design that my faith will be tested if I do so. My prayer would probably sound something like this. “God, give me patience, and I want it right now!” How silly we are at times. Haven’t we learned that God desires the best for us and that all things work out perfectly in His time according to His purpose?
For the most part, people possess tunnel vision, thinking only of the need as they make their petitions known to God. More often than not they complain during the waiting period rather than taking off the blinders-of-impatience that will allow them to see more clearly what God is doing. More focus is placed upon the answer that has not yet appeared than seeing the lessons that God is trying to teach them.
I do my best to pray in faith, but my faith sometimes wavers. It is then I pray like the man in the Bible. (St. Mark 9:23, 24) “Jesus said unto him, if thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.” v.24 “And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.”
I believe that God can speak the answer as soon as the request leaves our lips, but there are times it’s quite difficult to exercise faith and to believe. At these times we must remind ourselves that God sees and knows all things and that His ways are perfect and true. If we have to endure the testing of our faith for a season, there is a reason for going through the valley. (James 1:6-8) “But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.” v.7 “For let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord.” v.8 “A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.”
God has our best interest at heart. He wants liberty and peace to abide in all of His children. The sooner we realize this, the better off we’ll be, because we will cease our complaining and pointing a finger in the face of God, asking, “Why hasn’t the answer come?”
By standing in the knowledge that God loves us with a compassionate, kind hearted love, the wait becomes less and less stressful. We can stand on the promise found in (Romans ). “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”
Patiently waiting without complaining demonstrates our ability to trust the honesty of God. If He said He will perform a good work in us, we must believe that He will do so. The Bible is God’s will and testament to all that believe on the name of Jesus; to those that put their trust in a never changing Father, full of love and grace. The Bible reveals the sum of our inheritance through Jesus Christ the son of the living God.
When we trust God implicitly and pray, “Not my will, but yours be done,” the wait becomes easier to endure, because God’s strength and faithfulness becomes our strength and expectation.
The wait coupled with trust moves the hand of God. Our confidence rises to a higher plane as we focus upon the source of deliverance rather than the need itself. When we look to Jesus, the things we are facing grow dim in the light of His perfection.
Perfection is realized in the wait. Reflecting back to the encounters and challenges we faced reveals how God’s hand was in every situation of the wait. He makes known the whys as He reignites a new zeal to trust Him.
Encouragement is stimulated when we read the Bible, because faith grows as we garner more strength for the wait of tomorrow or the next time the wait depends upon faith to see us through. “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God,” (Romans ).
Written by,
Papa Boyd
No comments:
Post a Comment