In Hope Against Hope

LORD, I wait for you; you will answer, Lord my God.Psalm 38:15

Dear Saints in God’s waiting room,

We join many infamous people when we experience God’s waiting room. All the way back to Sarah and Abraham who were waiting on God to keep His word to them about an heir from their own loins. Their waiting room was clouded by the unreality of such a promise ever being fulfilled. Fact was it was impossible! No two ways about it! But the Truth is ‘there is nothing too hard for God.’

‘Ah Lord God! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and by Your outstretched arm! Nothing is too difficult for You,’ Jer 32:17

‘In hope against hope, Abraham believed God. Without becoming weak in faith,’ Even though the facts of their circumstances shouted ‘impossible’ at the promise of God, Abraham believed. In spite of his own body which scripture says was ‘now as good as dead since he was about 100 years old’ and ‘the deadness of Sarah’s womb; yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith; giving glory to God, and being fully assured (he believed) that what God had promised, He was able also to perform”.  

Wow! Doesn’t it set your feet to dancing?

When I pray I want action, a response. I want the ear of God and I want His intervention. The least desired answer to my prayer is ‘wait’.  There is so much waiting in life. I like ‘green-light’ days. When I drive, I want to get to where I am going without the red lights. (I know, I know I am dreaming of another life) Yet, I know if I do not learn to wait I will be continually frustrated with God and His timetable. I have been waiting until it hurts for the salvation of some of my nearest and dearest. As I wait I have learned to exercise my ‘will’ and give thanks to God for all He’s doing that I cannot see.

I have learned much in the unwelcome waiting times. The Holy Spirit has stretched and shaped me for His glory. Do I understand what God is doing? No. But this great are His purposes. I know He never makes a mistake and His purposes are great, beyond my mind to imagine and all for His glory.

Great are your purposes and mighty are your deeds. Jer 32:19a

Let me remind you and myself that God does not hurry in His development of our Christian life. He is working from and for eternity. We mature and become fruitful by the principle of growth and much time is involved. Fruit ripens slowly through the storms and the rain and  the blessed sunshine.

If we do not acquiesce to this we will experience continual frustration and will find we tend to take matters into our own hands like Abraham and Sarah did.

In the morning, LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly. Psalm 5:3

Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD. Psalm 27:14

We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield. Psalm 33:20

Are you in a season of waiting now? The waiting room can ‘feel’ very lonely. Part of being Spirit-filled and surrendered is learning to endure with joy in our waiting. God does not ‘owe’ us anything. He is always working for our holiness not our happiness. As we learn to trust, we learn to rest more and more in Him who is our life… ‘being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Phil 1:6

I am collecting ‘wait’ verses to feed me and strengthen me to wait on the LORD. I like to put them on 3x5 cards to carry with me walking or waiting at a long light, or in a waiting room.

Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. Psalm 37:7

  

It is hard to wait in a situation we cannot control or change. You run to God pleading with Him to do something, but all you hear is ‘wait’. My prayer for you is that you will choose to trust Him for every trial and every situation you do not understand just as David who recorded his struggle in the Psalms.

“When God’s answer is wait, a question is imbedded in that answer: ‘Will you trust me?’ L.W.

He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him. John 14:21

Father, You who lead us from self-dependence to Christ-dependence, You understand how easily we get frustrated, how hard it is to wait, how tough it is to be in a place we do not want to be. If we could, we would short-circuit such experiences and run for cover outside of Your provision. Thank You for loving us enough to reign us in and continue working in us the likeness of Your precious Son Jesus. We want to believe like Abraham! Work in us Your endurance and fill us with faith to trust You. As hard as it is to wait it is so sweet, so profitable when You disclose Yourself to us. It is worth all the trials and waiting for the sweetness of You, are You not our exceeding and great reward? It is in Your Name and for Your glory we pray, Jesus, amen and amen

You are not alone in your waiting,

az