Waiting and Faith

Eighteen days ago I was struggling with what God was asking of me. Once again I was hearing, "Wait, and see what I will do." In many ways, I've been waiting for a year and a half. And as a result, I'd grown tired of waiting. I wanted God to just do something already. And then, fifteen days ago, my Mom sent me this email:

"I was reading this morning and read Psalm 27:14. It blessed me, but also got me thinking. Wait doesn't mean stand in line until God gets around to you- it means serve Him, as you trust His timing; don't run ahead- He is Captain of the Hosts- so He leads. Wait for Him to lead. While waiting, don't despair or give up; be strong and let your heart take courage! (Tell your heart to take courage; success, God's way, will come.) 

"I thought of those who did not wait for the Lord: Saul (1 Sam. 13:8-14) waited, and he thought he had waited long enough, the appointed time, but God was testing Saul- would he really keep waiting- even with pressure from others? He blew it and it cost him. Another one that couldn't wait was Esau, when he traded his birthright for a bowl of stew. These were chosen men of God, yet they paid dearly for their impatience. 

    

"Waiting is probably the hardest test to go through, because in that waiting time, it seems as if God distances Himself from us, and He asks 'will you trust Me anyway?' 'Will you obey what you already know anyway?' 'Even if I do not seem to be as close to you as before?' 

"Waiting for God also includes saying, by our actions, 'God, I desire You more than all else.'"

This was exactly what I needed to hear! In the last year and a half, God has been doing something. Actually He's been doing tons of somethings! As God has been repeatedly asking me to wait, He has been building my faith, growing my ability to hear His voice, causing me to see my own weaknesses and allow for His strengths to prevail, and a ton of other things. It's been a very hard year and a half. But it has been incomparably amazing! 

Isaiah 7:9b says, "If you are not firm in faith, you will not be firm at all." Waiting causes our faith to become firm. When our faith is firm, we are enabled to live firmly in every aspect of our lives. I encourage you to be faithful in doing what you know you're supposed to do, even if God seems distant. Obey what you already know, even if it seems like you've been waiting long enough.

Wait and have firm faith.