Gaining Strength Through Waiting

We’ve all smiled at the quip which says, "Lord, give me patience. And give it me now!" But however much we may smile at something like this, the sad fact is that we can all fall into the trap of wanting to twist God’s arm to do something quickly – especially when the pressure’s on and we’re struggling. God must sometimes feel like a father who hears all the wants of his children, but knows very well that to grant all those requests instantly would not be good for them.

Just as there are seasons in life, there are also timings in God and learning to wait on God is, in reality, learning to trust God - that He knows best. And that can be especially hard for those who have been brought up by parents who proved themselves to be untrustworthy or even abusive. Our natural instinct is to think that God is like our human parents, so we find it hard to trust Him.

One of the reasons Jesus came was to show us what the Father is really like. Was Jesus trustworthy? If we can answer yes to that question, then we can know that Father God is also trustworthy and we can safely depend on Him. We can know that when we bring our requests to Him that He knows what is best for us.

There are many times when I’ve cried out to God in desperation only to find that God didn’t seem to answer the prayer – and that was usually because I had a pre-conceived idea of what the answer should be. The best answers are usually ones that come from a very different direction and, yes, later than we would like – but always on time, nevertheless! God’s clocks do keep perfect time!

And when we wait on Him, as our Scripture teaches us, we gain strength and through trusting God we can rise up above the problems and have God’s divine energy to run the race of life.

Prayer: Thank You, Lord, that You are totally trustworthy and that when I bring the needs of my life before You, that I can trust You to provide the right answer and at the right time. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.