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Waiting On God Is Not Easy But Rewarding

by Dr. Henderson Ward  
10/27/2014 / Christian Living


All generations throughout time seems to have the same problem when it comes to waiting. It is a problem that has troubled every one of all ages, and even in our enlightened and modern age the problem is no less irksome as in ancient times.

There are some things that do not sit well, that do not make a comfortable fit for humankind; and waiting seems to be one of them.

Every little kid, and they are the same everywhere, cannot wait for his or her birthday to come or for Christmas to arrive or to get to the picnic site or the beach or wherever the goodies and fun are waiting. The universal cry from children "Are we there yet" is so common that it has passed into our folklore.

But not only children are like this, for the challenge of waiting is as patient-sapping and muscular for adults as for children. All adults, believers and non-believers alike, have this very same problem and few deal with it in a manner worthy of praise.

Waiting, sometimes the Bible calls it patience, is a virtue few of us have and it is certain that as long as we are alive we run the risk of running out of patience, and stop waiting, and sometimes deeply regret it because had we waited a little longer we would have been rewarded.

Let us be honest, both you and I have issues with waiting. And if you think you are the epitome of a patient, waiting person then how do you respond to:

A long queue at the supermarket checkout; especially when someone is holding things up
Waiting for access to the Automatic Teller Machine (ATM)
Queing for gasoline at a filling station; especially when there's a shortage
Waiting for the surgeon to report on the condition of your loved one after surgery
Hearing your child is involved in an accident and not told the details
The doctor examines you and says he sees something but let him take a few samples

I can go on making a long list of things that freak people out, and somewhere on the list would be the one that makes you lose patience, get you in a frenzy, have you can't sleep or disturb you so deeply that you think you are losing your mind. Sometimes you can't wait any longer, you have to do something, anything, even if you do foolishness.

You are not exceptional, because we are all in the same boat when it comes to waiting.

So is it any different when we are waiting on the Lord?

I submit that waiting on God is much harder than customarily waiting, because often what we asked for is reasonable, and we expect to receive promptly that which was requested.

Many believers struggle with waiting on God, because they think that because they are waiting on answers, after asking in accordance with God's will, that there should be no delays; but that is not necessarily so.

Even when we ask, through prayer, and in faith, in accordance with God's will, it is God, and Him only, that decides the sequence and timing of his response. Daniel had to wait three full weeks for an answer from God, Daniel 10:12.

Because we are very limited in our awareness and vision, if God gave us immediately what we asked for, even when what we have requested is in accordance with his will, it would in all likelihood cause us to perish.

It is commendable to remember that God sees the total picture, we see just a small part.

Even Jesus Christ, with his unique powers of observation and understanding, when he prayed, again and again asked that God's will be done.

You, as a believer, can pray for the right thing, the right way, in the right spirit and attitude and yet God may not grant you what you want, when you want.

The Apostle Paul was the minister to the Gentiles, Peter the same to the Jews, and Paul evangelised all across Asia Minor (present day Turkey). When he wanted to continue the good work of spreading the gospel in Bithynia or Asia eastwards the Holy Spirit stopped him. Paul wanted to do what he considered part of his work, but he was told not to (Acts 16:6).

Of course Paul had an immediate answer, and so was able to continue his work westward and then on to Europe. He accepted that it was not in God's plan for him to proceed eastwards; and was not bothered that God had other plans for him.

The problem for us, unlike the Apostle Paul, is that God may not say instantly yes, or no, and we are left in an uncertain state, just waiting.

The questions in our minds, then, are these. How long should we wait? Should we wait at all? If God does not answer immediately should we take that as a no? Did God really hear us? Should we ask again?

The truth is that when we pray and make our request to God we should pray in the Spirit (Romans 8:26-27), leave it in God's hands, and go about our business.

God is never negligent, his ears are always open to the cries of his children (Psalm 34:15), and when He is ready, He will clearly make known his answer, and instruction, for us.

But we need to understand and practice the desirable quality of waiting.

There are many scriptures that tell us of the challenge of waiting on God and how to handle the waiting.

Here are just a few.

"For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth." (Psalm 37:9)

"Say not thou, I will recompense evil; but wait on the LORD, and he shall save thee." (Proverbs 20:22)

"But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." (Isaiah 40:31)

If we wait on God with the right attitude, then God always rewards us, because the right attitude in waiting is a firm affirmation:

1. That our affections and loyalty are heavenwards; towards God and Jesus Christ
2. That our faith and hope are firmly anchored in God, and we submit to his guidance
3. That we reverence God, and have confidence in him, and await his assistance
4. That we expect God to minister grace as we wait upon him for answers

It is worthwhile to remember that we wait on God daily, not just to answer prayer, or to make known his will in a particular matter, but also to renew our ebbing strength for the journey, to assist us in the performance of our duty, to help us resist the enemy so that he may flee, and enables us to do those things that are pleasing to him.

It is difficult and frustrating to wait on God at times, but we can do it; just as all the saints of old did, and benefitted. When we wait on God, wait for his answer, wait for his approval, wait for his directions, the wait is always rewarding. David knew a bit about waiting, and drawing from his own experience advises us, "Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD." (Psalm 27:14)

Enough said.

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Dr. Henderson Ward received his Doctor of Divinity in theology, with distinction, from Masters International School of Divinity, USA, where he is currently a post-doctoral fellow. Dr. Ward's career involved pastoring, evangelism, and teaching. Copyright 2017

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