Psalm 27:14 “Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.”

Do you like to wait? We get impatient when we have to wait in line at a store or wait for the traffic light to change. We have things to do, places to be, and people to see, right? Waiting is not something that very many are good at. We start learning to wait as toddlers. We soon learn that there are times when we cannot have it now, do it now, etc.

There are many instances in the Bible where people prayed, trusted God and waited, and waited, and waited. In much of those times, they faced many trials and tribulations that came to them while waiting.

David was anointed as King when he was sixteen, but did not become King until he was thirt. In David’s time of waiting he was chased through the desert by a jealous King Saul, and after David became King he was chased by his rebellious son, Absalom.

Abraham and Sarah desperately wanted a child, and had to wait a long time before they had a son; as did Rachel and Hannah. Joseph waited for a promotion and spent a lot of time in prison even though he had done no wrong. Moses was sent to the desert and waited a long time before God said it was time to lead His people out of slavery. Joshua waited for the promised land. Ruth waited for a husband. Elijah waited for rain. Job waited for his suffering to end, and Paul waited for release from prison. There was a lot of waiting going on.

It is important how we wait. The most important thing is that we seek God. We remember who he is, and what he has already done. We live faithfully in the present, doing those things God calls us to do, serving and loving. Waiting periods sanctify us, grow us, teach us, and stretch us, but they also can reveal much about God.

God heard you the first time you cried out in prayer about the situation or person. He is not slow in answering because he does not care; he is accomplishing something in you that could not come another way. We are to continue to pray without ceasing, to serve and love our families and others; we need to not grumble and complain. But faithfully do the everyday things that are before us.

God knew David needed time and more wisdom before he became King. He knew Abraham and Sarah needed decades to see that God was enough. Moses needed years to learn how to shepherd a flock. Joshua needed to learn leadership, and so on. Their time waiting was not wasted but prepared them for the next chapter that God had written for their lives. As they waited they continued in faithfulness living their everyday lives and listening to the Lord.

God sees you, God hears you, and God knows all about whatever it is, and when the time is right God will answer that prayer, or that door will open. We will be ready for the next chapter in this thing called life.

We need to spend the time in the “Waiting Room” listening to His voice, reading His word, growing in wisdom and understanding, loving others, working and serving, and just doing the next right thing. We have the privilege of looking back at these lives in the scriptures, reading their stories seeing how God used their time, and rejoicing with them when their time in the waiting room ended.

Don’t let negativity or negative people keep you from reaping the rewards of waiting. Don’t let the world and its distractions rob you of joy in the waiting. Don’t let the enemy of your soul cause you to doubt God has heard and will answer. If he(satan) did not know of God’s faithfulness, goodness, and grace, he would leave you alone. But you see he does, and so that is why he tries so hard to defeat you and keep you out of God’s word and stop those prayers. He wants to rob you of your joy and hope as you wait. DO NOT LISTEN TO HIS LIES, IF HE IS TALKING HE IS LYING, BECAUSE HE IS A LIAR!

I pray that as you are in your “waiting room” you seek God first. You wait with patience and trust. I pray you meditate on all the Lord has done, read His word, and are reminded of his goodness in the lives of so many who are already with him. I encourage you to cling to your joy and hope and know that one day when God says go or now….your time in the waiting room will end and you will come out wiser and ready, closer to the Lord, and full of reflection on all God has done and excitement to see the fruits of that time.

Blessings my friends…wait well!