I cannot count all the things I have wanted or needed and had to wait for them.....and actually, there are many things right now that I am still, and will, have to continue waiting for:
My wedding
A husband
Children
Photography software
The Lord to come and rule the earth
etc. etc. etc.
Just to name a few
If you knew me you would know that I really dislike waiting. Seriously.... I loathe waiting for anything I want/need. I plan things out in my mind that would be perfect (see, I am a perfectionist as well), but then a period of waiting completely disrupts my wonderful plans...and I am left waiting for who knows how long.
Right now, I am having to wait, wait, wait, wait, wait for something I have already been waiting on for 3 years - Direction from Yahovah. Is this such a bad thing to ask for that I must wait years and years before I am answered? No, indeed not. But Adonai will have His perfect work in me, and if it is through waiting endlessly that my G-d brings about His will, then who am I to complain? [Besides, complaining is a dangerous thing to do - Adonai killed many Israelites for their complaints against Him and Moses]
I have learned, from many experiences, that periods of waiting are inevitable and physically hard (and often emotionally for some of us ;-) But it is during the season of waiting that Adonai is stretching us. Our faith. Our will. Our selflessness. Our impatience. Since our human nature is so weak, we want to cry, "I'm STILL waiting, L-rd!" But we forget the verse, 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
Everyone had seasons of waiting, every person in G-d's holy Word had to wait for something. Even Yeshua had to wait. He waited 30 years before beginning His ministry. He waited patiently as His disciples were learning who He was and what He wanted them to learn. He waited through hours of intense suffering before death came and released Him from pain. He waited. Patiently. Through Suffering. Through it all - He waited.
Yaweh waits too, you know. He waits for the lost to come to Him, He doesn't snap His fingers and say, "If you don't come right this instant, I'll not take you unto Myself." No way. He waits for us to come to Him each day with our cares, troubles, thanks, sorrows, joys, wants, needs - He waits. When we sin against Him, He waits for us to come and truly repent. Our G-d even waits to give us the things we need or want to help us choose to rely on Him for everything. He waits to show us where to go, what to do, so that we will trust in Him.
As the saying goes, Rome wasn't built in a day. ;-) Of course it wasn't, it took a long time. We cannot expect everything we want to happen to come around in the blink of an eye. A year in Adonai's time is like a day in ours. He is not slow in answering our prayers or fulfilling our needs....We are just in too much of a hurry ;-D
Many times we ask G-d, "Why must I wait?"......I think a sufficient answer is......"Well, why not?"
Can you guess why it is a sufficient answer? :-)
Why not wait 7 years for a camera that you really want? Once you get it, you will appreciate it more. Why not wait/search/pray for 3+ years about a way to make an income from home? Perhaps G-d has something better than you could imagine, and you are either not ready for it yet, or it isn't the right time. Perhaps with all your research of various jobs, you can help another person out who is also searching. Why not wait on the L-rd for your future hopes and dreams so that you may have your strengths renewed and be able to "fly carefree" as eagles? ~ It is all about your perspective.
In our flesh, many times we do not have the right perspectives about various life situations - but - G-d can help us renew our minds & find rest and joy in times of waiting.
One last note must be made here: When we enter season of waiting, [whether we are waiting for G-d to answer us, help us, or bring something about] we must NOT be idle. Idle hands, minds, and thoughts are satan's playground, friends.
I believe the L-rd will lead me in the right direction in His good time, but I am not going to sit around and just expect the right at-home job to "fall into my lap"! No, I am going to keep researching, praying, thinking, and talking to others until I receive a conformation from Adonai. Waiting on the L-rd in a situation like this doesn't mean doing nothing. On the contrary, research must be done, all the while believing that my Father will show me the right thing to choose.
I hope I have encouraged at least some of you today, my friends. In writing all this, I have encouraged myself....Writing articles about things I am thinking about or going through seem to encourage me, and for that I am grateful. My each one of us choose to say, "If God wants me to wait, I'll wait!" ;-)
Shalom!
