“A man’s heart plans his way, but
the Lord directs his steps.”—Proverbs 16:9
No one likes to wait, but have you
ever wondered why? It is because delays
show us that we are not in control.
Someone or something else is behind the scenes calling the shots. Although we may be able to identify the
immediate cause—like an airplane or train delays, traffic light or the long
lines to checkout in a grocery store—ultimately the One who is in controls is
the Lord. When we place our faith and
trust in Him during these times of waiting our hearts remain at peace.
We must be cognizant that the enemy
wants us to fret and get into worry and distress when the answer seems to be
delayed. You might have thought that the
expression “waiting upon the Lord” applies
only to seeking guidance from Him or an answer to prayer. But it can mean so much more, when you
remember that He is the one who is ultimately in control and not Satan. We remind Satan that he has been defeated and
that God is in charge of our lives.
Lazarus, a friend of Jesus, was very
sick so his sisters sent word to Jesus.
When Jesus got the word, He said that he would not die from this
sickness and delayed going to his bedside.
When Jesus told his disciples that He was going to Lazarus’ house, they
did not want him to go because the Jews were trying to kill Him, and thought
that Lazarus would recover. However,
Jesus plainly told them that he was dead.
When Jesus arrived, he discovered that Lazarus had been dead for four
days. Lazarus’ sisters were very upset
and said that if Jesus would have been there he would not have died. Likewise, the people who were with the sisters
said that if Jesus’ had been there He could have kept Lazarus from dying. Lazarus was raised from the dead by Jesus,
but not when the people who loved and surrounded him thought that he should
have been (John 11:1-44).
In the Christian life, learning to
wait is vitally important because until you do, you will never be able to walk
in obedience to God. Learning to wait is
part of an effective prayer life, and experiencing the peace of resting in His
loving care. We do that when we remain
our enemy that he is not going to push us into worry and frustration and that
he is not the author of our days. We must learn to trust in God’s judgment, in
the big and small events of our life, even when we are irritated, impatient, or
even angry. If we are sensitive to His
instruction, each delay has a lesson.
Prayer—Father
I thank you that delays are no surprise to you help me be patience and remember
You are in control in every area of my life, in Jesus Name. Amen.
