Wait! Believe! Receive!

“But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31).

Famous “waiters” in the bible include Sarah, Elizabeth, and Mary. These three woman had a promise from the Lord, but they had to be patient with themselves and with their God. In waiting, you have to be sure of who your God is. No matter who gets a promotion before you do or who gets married before you do, you have to know that God does not lie and cannot fail.

The way that Sarah replied to God and the way that Mary replied to God concerning the promises that they received were totally different. Sarah laughed because she looked at her circumstance. How many of us laugh at the promises of God because of the view that we have of our circumstances. We forget that nothing is impossible for God and if we do decide to believe God we attempt to make his promises happen on our own watch. Sarah gave her husband a maid in order to conceive a child that God told her that she would bare. We make stupid and hasty decisions when we don’t see ourselves as God sees us. Sarah created her own competition within her own house hold. She now had to look at a woman that her husband had gotten pregnant all because she could not wait on the Lord. When we don’t wait on the Lord, we create unnecessary and uncalled for problems in our lives.

We get impatient with God because we don’t feel like he is moving as fast as we would like him to, but consider the seasons and lessons that God desires to teach you. Just because God’s timing and your timing are not the same that does not mean that God’s timing is not perfect. God knows what you need to learn and what you will go through while he is growing you.

“There is a time for everything,

and a season for every activity under the heavens:

a time to be born and a time to die,

a time to plant and a time to uproot,

a time to kill and a time to heal,

a time to tear down and a time to build,

a time to weep and a time to laugh,

a time to mourn and a time to dance,

a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,

a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,

a time to search and a time to give up,

a time to keep and a time to throw away,

a time to tear and a time to mend,

a time to be silent and a time to speak,

a time to love and a time to hate,

a time for war and a time for peace”. Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

“He has made everything beautiful in its time” Ecclesiastes 3:11

We have to learn to trust God when we don’t understand. We have to learn how to stop trying to figure out how he will do what he said he would and just enjoy the ride. Mary received her promise with joy and was called blessed because of it. She didn’t contend with God or try to make the pregnancy happen on her own, she just believed.

“Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!” (Luke 1:45)

“But you are to cling to the LORD your God, as you have done to this day. For the LORD has driven out great and strong nations from before you; and as for you, no man has stood before you to this day” (Joshua 23: 8-9).

Elizabeth teaches us how to love and serve God when we believe that the answer to our prayers is no. Like Sarah, she had a long waiting period, but she used it differently. She did not allow her husband to sleep with another woman, she just served. We have to love God even when we are disappointed with his answers. We have to know that he has heard our prayers. I don’t know if Elizabeth has this confidence immediately in her life, but she did receive confirmation when it was time. We have to believe when others do not. Elizabeth’s husband was mute until the promise of the Lord was fulfilled in their lives. Keep your mouth clean concerning the things of God. Guard your heart and your mind against unbelief.

“For no word from God will ever fail” (Luke 1:37).

Lord I don’t know how you’re going to do it, but I believe that you will. Please give my heart rest from worry and fear of the future. I pray to cling to your word and that will hold my hand always. Lord I want to be close to your heart. Help me to be more you and teach me to have patience in waiting. In Jesus name. Amen.

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