THE GRACE OF WAITING ON GOD (WAITING FOR GOD’S TIME)
Waiting on God, preach, Waiting on God’s timing, waiting on Christ
THE RIGHT PERSPECTIVE OF TRUSTING GOD HELPS US TO WAIT ON GOD
Waiting on God’s time, waiting on God
It is of great importance to know how to wait on God. David was one who experienced the challenge of waiting on God. Psalm 13:1-2 says: “How long will you forget me, O Lord? Always? How long will you hide your face from me? How long will I take advice in my soul, having pain in my heart every day? How long will my enemy be exalted over me? But David waits for God’s time, because he knows how to wait on God.
Waiting for God… Waiting for God’s time
Here we see David asking the Lord the same question four times: “How long?” He was tired of waiting! At the time he wrote these words, David was in grave affliction and there seemed to be no relief in sight, but David waits on God’s time, therefore you wait on God’s time; because you have to know how to wait on God.
David had no advisers and was alone. It seemed that his enemy had triumphed over him. He wondered if God had forgotten him or was hiding his face from him. Overwhelmed, David presented his complaint to God through this prayer. David waits for God’s time, because you have to know how to wait on God.
Waiting on God’s Timing: David Learned to Wait on God
Some time later, David wrote the words of Psalm 27. In verse 14 we read: “Wait for the Lord; take heart, and he will strengthen your heart; he waits, I say, on the Lord ”. This seems to be from a different David! The man who once asked God: “Why have you forgotten me?” now he says, “Wait on the Lord,” wait on God.
David tells us that we must wait on God; because he learned what it is to be waiting for God’s time
Even David repeated it: “Wait, I say, on the Lord.” When he was writing this psalm, David had tested God. God had answered some of his prayers. The beginning of the psalm tells part of that story:
“The Lord is my light and my salvation; Who shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; Who am I afraid of? David had seen God’s deliverance and had developed an implicit trust in him. Now he could recommend that others wait in the Lord, because David waits in God’s time, because you have to know how to wait in God.
Waiting for God’s time we experience the grace of Waiting on God
What we must understand is that when God allows a delay, it is for our well-being. Instead of seeing it as something negative, we must ask God for the grace to wait as long as he sees fit, we must learn to wait on God.
Sometimes, we can also feel like David when he wrote Psalm 13, and we can find ourselves asking God, “How long?” Rest assured that the God of David is the same today, and he will deliver us too, but we must wait on God.
Waiting on God is a blessing, because we are waiting for God’s time
Some see the waiting as a minor thing, while others see it as a burden, or perhaps even a form of slavery. What we must understand is that when God allows a delay, it is for our well-being; therefore, we must know how to wait on God.
Instead of seeing it as something negative, we should ask God for the grace to wait as long as he sees fit. With the right perspective, we will understand that waiting time is a blessing and will not discourage our souls.
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO KNOW HOW TO WAIT ON GOD?
Why should we wait on God?
We must wait on God, because God has reasons for allowing delays in our lives. David waited for Saul’s release for almost ten years, and during that time he learned to lean on God. God used those years to develop David’s character and prepare him to be a good king.
Not only that, but David’s difficult situations inspired many of the psalms that are a true encouragement to us today. These are just a few of the reasons why God may have allowed a long period of waiting in David’s life.
Waiting on God’s timing: Abraham also had to wait on God
Abraham waited for his promised son for twenty-five years, and is now called the Father of Faith. During those years, Abraham grew closer to God, and was finally rewarded when God gave him his promised son, not an ordinary son, but one who would continue the lineage through which our salvation came, which is why we must know how to wait on God.
Wait in God
Another example is found in Deuteronomy 8:2 where we read: “And you will remember all the way that the Lord your God led you through the desert for forty years, to humble and test you, to know what was in your life, to know what was in your life. what was in your heart, whether you keep his commandments or not.
In the previous verse, we see that one of the purposes of the Israelites who wandered in the desert was to humiliate them. God can use waiting as a way to refine us, and it can also be the strongest test of our obedience. In the midst of the test you have to know how to wait on God.
Romans 11:33 states: “O depth of riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and his ways!” There is a great distance between God and man.
In the midst of any circumstances we must learn to wait on God
God’s ways are infinite, and therefore it is impossible for us to understand all the reasons for what he is doing. While it is good to seek to know the mind of God, we must also accept the reality that his ways are undiscoverable. We have to choose to trust Him, whether we understand it or not. And learn to wait on God.
One thing we do know for sure is that God’s intentions for us are good. Jeremiah 29:11 tells us that God wants to give us an “expected end,” which we know is an eternal home in heaven. Regardless of what we can achieve by our waiting, we can be sure that part of the reason is to help us reach that blessed goal.
WAITING FOR GOD’S TIME: WAITING ON GOD IN PRAYER
The importance of knowing how to wait on God in prayer
God does not have a set time requirement for receiving those three basic Christian experiences; we must simply continue to pray until we receive them. The same can be said for anything we need from God: We must keep praying until He answers. We can miss out on the blessing if we don’t wait long enough.
Waiting on God until the answer to our prayer comes, we must wait on God…
In the Bible we find examples of the importance of waiting for God’s response. Genesis 15 tells how Abraham had to wait for God to honor his sacrifice. A whole day passed and it was late at night when God answered. In Genesis 32 we read about Jacob, who never gave up, but instead said, “I won’t let you go unless you bless me,” and finally received the answer.
Wait on God in prayer, wait on God
When we kneel before God in prayer, we must have the same determination. It will not always be easy to continue in prayer, but we can lean on God for strength. Even if we don’t know why the answer hasn’t come yet, through prayer God can reveal to us if something is missing on our part. If we do all we know how to do and keep waiting for God’s timing, surely He will meet all our needs.
Waiting for God’s timing in prayer
David shared some thoughts on waiting in prayer. In Psalm 62:1-2 he said: “Truly my soul hopes in God; from him comes my salvation. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my defense; I will not be very moved ”.
The statement, “I won’t be moved much,” speaks of the effort that goes into waiting. Without effort, the natural tendency is to move: to start doubting God and struggling spiritually. We must determine to keep our focus on God and his faithfulness.
THE SUCCESSFUL CHRISTIAN IS ONE WHO WAITS IN GOD, PRAYS AND FINDS REFUGE IN HIM
Waiting for God’s time, sheltered in Him through prayer
Turning to verse 5, David said, “My soul, wait only on God,” and in verse 8, “Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your hearts before him.” Pouring out our hearts to God requires prayer, and that is what sustains the Christian.
WAITING FOR GOD’S TIME: EACH EXPERIENCE OF WAITING ON GOD IS UNIQUE
There are many different situations that may require us to wait on God. As in the case of David, we might need deliverance. David’s very life was in danger and he sought a place of physical safety.
Some may be sick and are looking to God for healing. We may need financial help or some other kind of work of the Lord. There are many who are praying and waiting for God’s timing and direction on marriage, and many married couples who are looking to God regarding children.
We must learn to wait on God
After I was saved, I waited fifteen years before getting married, and once my wife and I got married, we waited eight years before our son was born. By the time we had been married for five years, I was struggling over what to do and finally decided to consecrate the whole thing to God. I prayed, “God, you have blessed me and given me everything in my life. I have everything one needs, and it’s just a child I don’t have, and I will never pray to you for a child again.”
There were still some difficult moments after that prayer, but the matter was resolved between me and the Lord. Three years later, when we didn’t expect it, God gave us our son. I don’t know why God chose that time, nor how our lives could have been altered if events had unfolded differently. We may never know why, but God always has a reason and we trust Him.
Waiting on God, with time we will understand the reason
Sometimes God lets us understand the reason for waiting. That was the case recently when our family moved to Wharton, New Jersey. In the United States, it takes an average of forty-five days to process an application for…