I would have lost heart unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait on the Lord. Be of good courage and he shall strengthen your heart. Wait i say on the Lord-(Psa 27:13-14) Believers will inevitably encounter seasons of waiting in their Christian walk. The Bible says there is a season for everything under the sun. It is doctrinal fallacy to presuppose that the Lord’s victory equates to immediate reception of all His promises in the present moment. That is unscriptural. Many can attest to having prayed prayers that the Lord has not answered to date. Rest assured, the Lord hears your prayers. His eyes are on the righteous and His ears are open to hearing their cries(Psa 34:15). The Bible says through faith and patience we obtain the promises. Do not feel condemned by these false teachings.
Many people in the Bible waited. Our Lord had to wait until He was 30 years old to start His ministry.Joseph had to wait 13 years while Abraham had to wait for 25 years.David waited 12 years. Waiting is not a sin nor does it mean that the Lord has abandoned or rejected you. He says I will never leave you nor forsake you(Heb 13:5). Waiting however can induce exhaustion to the soul, causing it to grow weary and to resort to poignant longing for withheld provisions.
What do we do in these moments?
The Lord says ” For I will satisfy the longing soul and every languishing soul I will replenish( Jer 31:25). For He satisfies the longing soul and the hungry soul he fills with good things( Psa 107:9). Remind the Lord of who He has promised to be for you in these moments. He has promised that these moments of waiting will not leave us depleted.
Why does the Lord make us wait?
- To refine our character.
- To prepare us for what He has prepared for us.
- He heals deep wounds
- We are given a new perspective and paradigm to assist us with the next chapter He is bringing
To excise traces of self dependence and to teach us to depend on Him
- It exposes our human limitations as we are placed in a vulnerable position where our aid can only come from God
- It fosters growth
- During this time the Lord unearth’s hidden sins and iniquities that may hinder what He has prepared for us thus, He delivers us from it
- He challenges our limiting beliefs and faulty mindsets.
- He is going before us to make the crooked places straight(Isa 45:2)..
- He imparts wisdom and gives us understanding.
What do we do as we wait?
We wait and hope. Our wait should not distress us. At this juncture of our journey in Christ, hope in the Lord provides luminosity amidst obscurity. Feast on the Lord. The Lord is your portion( Lam 3:24)Believe in the goodness of the Lord. Don’t permit your circumstance to vilify or besmirch His character. Trust that He is working out all things for your good. It is Charles Spurgeon who said “God is too good to be unkind and He is too wise to be mistaken And when we can’t see the Lord’s hand we must trust His heart”.
Serve or use your gifts to glorify Him.
This season demands an intentional deepening of spiritual roots and a rigorous resistance against the adversary’s attempts to utilize material lack as a catalyst for spiritual estrangement. Resist him. Don’t permit worldly assets or the lack thereof to take your Lord away from you. We are but sojourners in this earthly realm. Our home country is Heaven.
This earth is transient, it is passing away. The Lord said Heaven and earth will pass away..(Matt 24:35). So do not leave the Lord because He is “tarrying to move on your behalf”. He says at the right time I will make it happen ( Isa 60:22). We must remember to fix our gaze on Him and not the perceived delay. The Word that was planted among thorns was choked by the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches,making that one unfruitful(Matt 13:22). We need to exercise caution and ensure that our desires don’t make us unfruitful. The cup bearer and chief baker found Joseph in prison yet they left ahead of him. They were in prison for a short while. Sometimes we wait long because our purpose demands it. Joseph’s wait was longer than his fellow prisoners because his purpose was far greater. The Lord does not desire for the blessing to swiftly morph into a curse and destroy us. He ensures that our shoulders are fortified to carry the blessing with grace.
Pragmatic insights
To navigate this season, one should refrain from social media if it breeds comparison, jealousy, or covetousness. Focus on your unique path. Do not compare your life to anyone else’s. Petition the Lord for mercy and grace to get through the wait. Pray and intercede for others. This will assist in prohibiting us from getting self absorbed in the wait. Resist the urge to resort to ungodly ways that contradict scripture in order to railroad the miracle to occur. We must not abandon our posts or succumb to ungodly desires out of impatience, for settling for less is a rejection of the Lord’s best.