Today’s devotion is based on Week 2 of “Tough Love”: Challenges Perspective! (WATCH HERE)
It’s hard to wait.
It’s hard to believe that something better is coming when you are in the middle of something hard.
It’s hard to keep working at something when the outcome seems uncertain.
It’s hard to avoid short term satisfaction for long term happiness.
Our culture around us thrives on quick fixes, fast remedies, and immediate gratification. Fast food, medications, instant access and more make waiting difficult and delaying gratification even harder.
We can carry this “fast food mentality” into our spiritual lives. We want God to act now. We want him to give us what we want now. We want a life free of hardship and full of blessing now.
It’s hard to wait.
If you think its hard for you, imagine some of the situations where people in the Bible had to wait.
Noah…100 years for the Lord to send the flood.
Abraham…25 years for the Lord to give him a son with Sarai.
Joseph…years in prison waiting to be released.
People of Israel…40 years waiting to enter the promised land.
David…waiting from his anointing until assuming the throne in Israel.
All Old Testament believers…waiting for hundreds and thousands of years for Jesus to come into the world.
In all of these situations, the Lord brought great blessing to the one who waited on the Lord.
However, the sinful nature led some to get impatient and want an immediate gratification. Abraham had a child with Hagar. That created and still creates tension between the offspring of Isaac and the descendents of Ishmael.
The people of Israel got tired of waiting on Moses and had Aaron build a golden calf to replace God himself.
David got himself into trouble when his lust and desire for sexual gratification turned into adultery and murder.
If we consider the root cause of impatience and the lack of ability to wait on the Lord, it is caused by our sinful nature When we are unwilling to wait on the Lord and take matters into our own hands, we often sin and create problems for ourselves.
It is really a gift of God’s Spirit to be able to have a heart willing to wait on the Lord. It is a gift of grace to have a faith that trusts that God’s timing is best.
Use Psalm 130:5-6 as your prayer this week. Ask the Lord to develop in you a willingness and ability to confidently wait for the Lord to act.
I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits,
and in his word I put my hope.
6 I wait for the Lord
more than watchmen wait for the morning,
more than watchmen wait for the morning.
Apply: What situatio
n are you having a hard time waiting for God to act? Pray to the Lord to help you with your heart first that it may drive a calm content that the Lord is always faithful and his timing is best.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for your eternal plan which you systematically worked in time for me to be included in. Help me to always be patient and seek your direction and step forward in every situation. AMEN.