“Wait
for the Lord: be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord”
(Psalm 27:14 NIV).
I
believe all of us can agree that waiting is very difficult. Maybe as
you are reading this you are waiting for something such as: a
diagnosis, an answer to prayer, a job interview, a phone call about a
house you put an offer on, or a loved one to accept Christ as their
Savior. The list can go on and on and these are only a few things you
can be waiting on. I want to give you hope that God does hear your
prayers and will answer in His time. You must trust Him that His
timing is best.
Let
me give you a few examples from the Bible of people who had to wait
and what the outcome was. First, Noah was told by God to build an ark
to save animals and his family from a great flood. Noah was faithful
and worked on the ark for 100 years before the flood came. Before
that time rain had not even fallen on the earth. Because of Noah’s
faithfulness mankind was preserved as well as all living creatures.
(Gen. 6-8) Then there is Abraham who was promised a child by God in
his old age. This child would be the start of a great nation. Abraham
had to wait 25 years for this to happen. Then Isaac was born when
Abraham was 100 years old. (Gen.15-21) Joseph was thrown in prison
for something he did not do. While in prison God was with him and the
warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and was
made responsible for all that was done there. The Lord gave Joseph
success in whatever he did. He was in prison for two years before he
was presented to the pharaoh to interpret a dream. This accurate
interpretation enabled Joseph to be put in charge of all of Egypt to
prepare for a famine. (Gen. 30-41) You see his time in prison helped
him to rule a nation.
These
are only a few example of how God uses time to teach us to trust Him.
If
you are waiting for an answer for a healing please take heart by the
example of Hezekiah. He became mortally ill, and Isaiah told him he
would die. Hezekiah prayed to God and wept, telling God to remember
how he had walked before God in truth, with his whole heart and had
done what was good in God’s sight. God told Isaiah to tell Hezekiah
that he had heard his prayer and would extend his life by 15 years.
(2 Kings 20:1-6) You see do not give up hope on praying for healing.
You must trust God with the outcome no matter what it is, and keep
believing.
No
matter what you are waiting for please know that God’s timing may
not be yours. But you must keep being faithful and pray, believing
that nothing is impossible with God. It may take years or days, but
God does hear you and an answer will come. Trust Him to know what is
best. “But as for me, I trust in You, O Lord, I say, “You are my
God”. My times are in Your hands” (Psalm 31:14-15 NIV).
Dear
Lord,
Help
me to trust you to know the right timing for an answer to prayer. I
know you love me and will never leave me. As I wait, give me the
peace that only you can give.
In
Jesus’ name,
Amen
