TEXT:

‘Therefore I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; My God will hear me’ (Micah 7:7)

THOUGHT:

Waiting for God to answer and bring about a change to a situation can be one of the hardest things to do. Delay can seem like denial but often it is not the case. In the Bible there are a number of scriptures that refer to ‘waiting’ and Today’s Teaching highlights five areas we need to be aware of and focus on.

• Wait Politely – ‘Let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath’    (James 1:19)

Waiting can bring out the worst in us. Think about reactions, ours included, of people waiting in a queue, whether at the supermarket, traffic lights or the entrance to a big event. How impatient we can get even over the slightest hesitation by the person ahead of us. Many an obscenity has been shouted at the car in front for taking off slowly after the light has turned green. Having driven in Africa and Italy, the use of horns there to express frustration and anger is widespread! The epistle of James exhorts us to be slow to respond and get angry because, ‘Anger will not help you live the right kind of life God wants’ (James 1:20 NCV).

• Wait Patiently – ‘Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him’ (Psalm 37:7)

Jerusalem was under siege.¹ People were so desperate, they even resorted to cannibalism to stay alive. The King of Israel got so angry with God not answering and ending the siege, he decided to execute the prophet Elisha. God warned Elisha what was about to happen and when the men arrived to arrest him, he told them a prophetic word from God, ‘Listen! God’s word! The famine’s over. This time tomorrow food will be plentiful’ (2 Kings 7:1 MSG). What a shame the King had not waited just one more day, it would have saved him acting in a shameful and ungodly way, for Elisha’s prophecy was exactly fulfilled.

Waiting patiently involves endurance. Job said, ‘I will wait all the days of my struggle until my change and release will come’ (Job 14:14 AMP). Although Job thought death would be the only way to end his misery, God had something much better for him – double restoration of all that he had lost and good health once again. ‘You have heard how long Job waited. You have seen what the Lord did for him in the end. The Lord is full of loving-kindness and pity’ (James 5:11 NLV).

However long it takes, God will watch over His word to ensure that it comes to pass. He does not make empty promises!

‘This vision is for a future time. It describes the end, and it will be fulfilled. If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed’                  (Habakkuk 2:3 NLT).

• Wait Purposefully – ‘As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, “Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”’ (Acts 13:2)

While we are waiting for God to do something, it is important that we do something. Paul and Barnabas were waiting for the ‘green light’ to go on a missionary journey. They did not just sit around until it happened but were fully involved in the life of the church until the Holy Spirit commanded the church to release them. Too many Christians have ‘big dreams’ but idle hands!

While we are waiting for Jesus to return, let’s be active in our local church. ‘Not forsaking our meeting together [as believers for worship and instruction], as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more [faithfully] as you see the day [of Christ’s return] approaching’ (Acts 10:25 AMP).

• Wait Prayerfully – ‘But those who wait upon God get fresh strength. They spread their wings and soar like eagles, They run and don’t get tired, they walk and don’t lag behind’ (Isaiah 40:31 MSG)

There is a divine exchange that takes place when we wait on the Lord. The weary can find fresh strength; the depressed can be inspired; we can keep up with the Lord on the journey He is taking us on. Too many Christians look on reading the Bible and praying in a negative way, something they have to do. How much better to say, “Lord as I read Your Word and pray, You will strengthen and inspire me”, then see it actually come to pass!

‘As for me, I look to the Lord for help. I wait confidently for God to save me, and my God will certainly hear me’ (Micah 7:7 NLT).

• Wait Positively – ‘Therefore the Lord will wait, that He may be gracious to you; and therefore He will be exalted, that He may have mercy on you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for Him’ (Isaiah 30:18)

During my time as a day student at Bible College, I returned to my home church in Truro for a visit and was asked by another church to preach. When I returned to Doncaster, the church I had preached in invited me to become their pastor, as their leader had suddenly resigned. Already feeling a call from God to Cornwall, I excitedly sought God in prayer and fasting for confirmation of His will. It seemed God was silent and when I went to a church on the Sunday, the pastor announced God had told him to change his message and preach from Isaiah 30:18. He emphasised that delay was not denial but the opportunity for God to be gracious. Talking to him afterwards, he advised me to wait. So I declined the offer although I did not know why. One year later God called me to Wadebridge to lead the church after the pioneer crusade. Many times I have thanked God for guiding me, because the church I had been offered had had many difficulties which I had not been aware of.

Many find waiting makes them more negative the longer they have to wait, but the text reassures us that any waiting on God’s part is that He may be more gracious!

I like the Caleb spirit. He had waited forty-five years to get his inheritance in the Promised Land. Had he lost heart? Not one bit for he said, ‘I am as strong today as I was the day Moses sent me. I am as strong now as I was then, for war, or for anything’ (Joshua 14:11 NLV).  If you are waiting, then keep waiting in faith and stay positive, for God has promised that all things are working together for good.²

Endnotes:

¹ 2 Kings 6:24-7:20                  ² Romans 8:28