How well do you wait? Do you wait on a purchase until you have saved the money for it? Are you anxious for special days to arrive? Do you rush through a task you have been assigned in order to do something you want?
Patience is a trait many of us lack. As one saying goes, “Lord, give me patience and give it to me now.” We have become impatient, wanting our wants satisfied immediately. The ability to find information or stream videos via the internet immediately has only exacerbated our impatience.
We don’t like to wait to acquire things we want. We are willing to go in debt to acquire them. Simply look at the number of credit cards and loan companies that exist. Bring up the topic of paying bills sometime with your friends and listen to how many have balances on their credit cards or have loans for several large possessions. We count on being able to work and pay for them down the road so we can have them now.
We don’t like to wait to ask a question or tell about something that happened. We interrupt someone else’s conversation to get an answer or tell our story. Either we weren’t taught to be considerate, waiting until there is a pause in the conversation, or we have forgotten our manners.
We don’t want to wait for God either. We want Him to bless us with what we want each day. We plead with God to grant us our desires, what we think is best. Yet, God doesn’t work on the timeline we want. He blesses us as we need and holds some blessings until the time is right according to His plan.
Waiting on God can be hard. It means trusting He knows what is best for us. But our faith grows when we wait, sometimes when we are forced to wait. We see God’s timing. We see how perfect it is. We understand why God made us wait.
The apostle’s realized this truth when Jesus told them to wait in Acts 1:4-5. He had made a promise, but they were going to have to wait. When His promise was realized, amazing things happened. They became blessed beyond their wildest imaginations. Men who were average citizens became more powerful in God than any of their religious leaders.
I pray we all pursue patience. I pray we stop, think, and practice patience. I pray we decide to wait on God to bless us, just as He has promised. Practice patience. Wait on God. Know that He has your best interest at heart. God has a plan for you.
Psalm 27:14
Wait for the Lord;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the Lord.
Marty Pressey 