I am a patient person. So not true! And those who know me know it is not true. However, I am going to keep speaking it until I become one. Patience is one if the fruits of the spirit. I am striving to have them all! It is one of the things God is doing a work in me. He is a miracle worker and I am definitely better at the waiting game. There has been countless times in my life that I prayed for something and nothing happened. Then I would fast, still nothing. So I begged and cried. Nothing! None of that hurried God’s plan for my life. So I would get tired of waiting and do something, anything to fix it or help myself. And looking back I can tell you, every time it was a disaster! Sometimes it would seem like I worked it out in the beginning, but later in the long-term I would live to regret it. That is what happens when we try the “quick, easy” fix. The easy way or the simple solution is not always God’s plan. No one likes waiting. We ask God for a soul mate, good health, a job, and financial stability. I mean that’s not much to ask for. Why have God not answered, why am I still waiting? Waiting is hard. We fret inwardly with worry and frustration. I think about Abraham, Joseph, Moses and even Jesus. They waited for 13, 25, 30 and even 40 years! How did they do it? I wonder did they get tired of waiting. Some of us get tired if God has not answered our prayers in one day! Scripture says ask and it will be given, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be open (Mathew 7:7). Nowhere in there does it give us a time frame or deadline!
So this is what I have learned; when we ask God for something, we must trust God to deliver. We must believe whatever we are waiting for; God will not be late for. We must also know that if what we are asking for is not good for us, God knows this and He is not going to give it to us just because we asked for it. Would you give your children or loved one something bad simply because they wanted it? I think not, because you love them. That is how God feels about us. Another thing, when we ask God for something, the enemy will step in and have us doubt that we are getting what we asked for or have us to believe we don’t deserve it. Of course he is a liar! He does this by using the things of this world to distract us. Every day it will seem the problem is getting worse. Our mind, which is our worse enemy will tell us , it’s taking too long, I will be to old, I’m feeling worse, I can’t handle this job. That’s how the enemy works, he wants us to give up, and not wait on the Lord. If we really want to be strong warriors, we must keep our gaze on God, and glance at the things of this world. Victory comes when we realize that greater is coming, if not in the form of what we asked for, then something better! While we wait, we must choose to be better, not bitter, to praise God even when we don’t feel like it, to trust that even if He doesn’t fix it right away, the pain is for our good and it will not last forever. God is more interested in our character than our comfort. God is about restoration. Sometimes we can only learn lessons in a struggle or storm. It is through the storm, hurt, and pain that I found out how strong I really am. You go into survivor mode. And then you realize the only way you can survive is with the help of God. It is there we find God, no, I mean really find God. And we realize He is enough! It was through all that pain that my life was forever changed. I learned to let God work and not block my blessings by trying to fix it myself. God always has a plan. It is important that when we ask God for something, it is aligned with his plan. That our heart has the right motive. We can pray for direction to follow his plan, patience to wait on it, and knowledge to know when it comes. No one likes to wait, but there are many critical lessons that can only be learned from waiting on the bench. Love and blessings….
EMMANUEL 