“Wait on the Lord; be of good
courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say on the Lord!”—Psalm 27:14
The culture in which many of us live
in is fast-paced and we are accustomed to quick results. Waiting appears to be an activity of past
generations.
It is no surprise, then, that we
have a hard time if God does not answer a prayer right away. But when we refuse to be patient, our only
option is to step out of His plan. In Genesis
16: 1-6, the Scriptures tell how Abram and Sarai (later Abraham and Sarah) took
matters into their own hands because they did not like the Lord’s timetable.
Ten years had passed since God
promised them a son, and Sarai was aging.
So, she and Abram decided to let her servant Hagar bear a child for
them. Sarah eventually did give birth in
her old age, but that lack of patience led to great strife—for their family and
of us today. Much of the tension in the
Middle East can be traced to two people groups: the descendants of Hagar and of
Sarah.
Why would a couple choose a path of
self-sufficiency? First, Sarai’s intense
desire clouded her thinking. She desperately
wanted to provide her husband with a son—which was a basis of women’s worth in
that culture. Next, she succumbed to
wrong thinking. After years of
childlessness and longing, she began to think that perhaps the Lord needed
human help. Finally, she influenced
Abram to believe this faulty reasoning, and both gave in to impatience.
These traps still pose danger
today. We are not immune to strong
desire, human reasoning, or the influence of others. Impatient by nature, we could easily justify
taking action in our own strength. The
best advice is to listen, obey, and wait.
God’s timing is perfect, and we do not want to miss His best. If you have been impatient waiting upon God’s
timing and have chosen a path of self-sufficiency, ask Him to forgive you and
to restore your timing. He will renew your strength and you will see the
promise fulfilled.
Prayer—Father
I ask you to forgive me of being impatient and not waiting upon your
timing. I have taken matters into my own
hands and tried to work your will out for myself, instead of waiting upon
You. Help me Holy Spirit and restore me
into your perfect timing, in Jesus Name. Amen.
