I Will Wait - Encouragement Café - June 26
I Will Wait
By Annah Matthews
I wait for you, O Lord; you will answer, O Lord my God. Psalm 38:15 NIV
Waiting is one of the hardest aspects of a Christian’s life. We want God to fulfill every need, desire, and want in our lives and we want it fulfilled now. We are not very patient people in today’s world. Instant gratification is everywhere around us.
High-speed internet makes it possible to check our email instantaneously. Our smartphones allow us accessibility to virtually anyone, anywhere, and anytime. We can go through just about any drive-thru restaurant and have a custom order made for us in less than two minutes. Our microwave allows us to pop a bag of hot, steaming popcorn in just 90 seconds.
So it is no surprise that when God tells us to wait for something that we get very impatient and upset. God is not unaware of or unsympathetic to our waiting. He hasn’t forgotten us or failed to hear our prayers.
He is simply asking us to wait, so He can use the time to strengthen us in our faith.
The story of Joseph from the book of Genesis is a great lesson in waiting with dignity. Joseph was wrongly imprisoned, and while in prison, he was able to share his gift of interpreting dreams.
Along comes the royal cupbearer who spent a few days in prison with him and told Joseph he would tell the Pharaoh about Joseph’s wonderful ability to interpret dreams. Two years later, Joseph was still waiting. God knew exactly where Joseph was and knew that he was waiting.
After two long years, God allowed the cupbearer to remember Joseph’s gift of interpreting dreams and told the Pharaoh about him. The lessons Joseph learned while waiting in prison certainly couldn’t have been learned anywhere else.
Do you imagine that during Joseph’s wait – he grew in his prayer life, his dependence upon God, and in his understanding of God’s sovereignty?
What a blessing it was when Joseph’s prayers were answered, and he was immediately brought out of prison to stand before the Pharaoh. He was brought out of waiting, in exactly God’s time and directly into the presence and position of royalty.
Imagine Joseph telling his children and grandchildren the stories of how much God strengthened his faith and the lessons he learned while waiting in prison.
Did Joseph talk about his waiting with bitterness or resentment? Or do you imagine, like I, that he told his story with awe and reverence of God’s divine plan and sovereignty being fulfilled?
What is it that you are waiting for? What lessons is God teaching you during the wait? Waiting is a hard thing to do, but it is also part of God’s extraordinary plan that can help us to grow into a deeper and more intimate relationship with Him. Don’t get so focused on the wait that you miss the blessing of being grown by God.
Lord, help me to remember that I wait in expectation of You and You alone. Allow me to be patient and to use the times of waiting to grow with You and to grow more dependent on You. Help me to stay focused on Your perfect love and Your perfect plans. Forgive me for my impatience and remind me that You are with me in each step of my waiting game. In Jesus’ Name I Pray, Amen.
© 2021 by Annah Matthews. All rights reserved.
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