I am not even sure what the Lord has me waiting for, but for the past year or so, His word has been firm: Wait. He obviously has a lot of preparation to do in me and lessons to teach me more before He reveals what’s next. In the meantime, I am, with the Lord’s strength, trying to be focused on the day at hand and be faithful where He has me. God’s Word is vital in the waiting. Through it, the Lord is teaching me, molding me, rebuking me and encouraging me. It’s easy to get lost in the waiting and to become anxious, but Jesus tells us not to be troubled or anxious (John 14:1). The Lord has been reminding me lately of the Proverbs 31 Woman who laughed at the future (Proverbs 31:25). She laughs not because she is careless or thinks it’s funny, but because she knows her God is in control. And it’s true. God is in complete control, working out His sovereign and good purposes and He has given me the strength and faith to rest in that truth.
Below is a brief catalog of “waiters” from the Bible. These are God’s people who, though not perfect, lived in faithful obedience to Him, but yet they had to wait for God’s perfect timing for some of their prayers as well as God’s promises to be fulfilled.
Abraham & Sarah (Genesis 12-21) – Abraham is described in the Bible as “a friend of God” (James 2:23). He and his wife, Sarah, had faith in God. They were unable to have children, but God promised to give them a son. They waited 25 years before this promise was fulfilled in the birth of Isaac. Abraham was 100 years old when Isaac was born.
Joseph (Genesis 37-50) – Joseph was the son of Jacob, grandson of Isaac and great-grandson of Abraham. He was the favorite child of his father, which made his ten older brothers jealous of him. They sold him as a slave to Egypt and then he was thrown in an Egyptian prison for something he didn’t do. God gave Joseph dreams when he was a teenager (before all this happened) showing him that he would rule over his family. When he was about 30, he was exalted to the second highest ruling position in Egypt, but Joseph did not see those dreams fully realized until he was in his 40s. This means that he waited at least 30 years for God to fulfill His purposes for him. He had suffered much, but God used him to save his family (God’s people Israel) from famine and death. This is what he told his brothers when they were afraid he would try to take revenge on them after their father died:
As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. Genesis 50:20David (1 Samuel 16 & 2 Samuel 2) – God selected David to be king over Israel when he was probably about 20 years old. He didn’t start reigning over Judah (part of Israel) until he was 30 and over the whole nation until he was 37. David waited about 20 years for God’s promise to him and purpose for him to be realized.
Job (Job 1-2; 40) – Job is described as a very righteous man (Job 1:1). He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, yet he lost everything. All ten of his children died in a tornado; all his wealth (livestock and crops) disappeared; and even his health failed him. He went from the mountaintops to the valley in an instant. Even though Job couldn’t see it, the Lord was at work in his life. God wanted to display His worth to the heavenly realm through Job because Job, even though he lost everything, did not turn away from God. God also wanted to refine Job’s faith and obliterate the hidden pride that manifests itself in the middle chapters. While God was working out these purposes, Job was waiting and suffering. Months and months passed without a word from God (Job 7:3; 29:2). Sometimes we forget that Job’s fortunes were not restored immediately. Even when they are, it took time. The Lord gave him seven sons and three daughters again, but unless his wife had septuplets, this would have taken at least 10 years. So, even though we’re not told how long Job waited for God to restore him, he had to wait while heaven was silent, which is the hardest lesson of all.
Daniel (the Book of Daniel) – Daniel was taken captive along with other Israelites by the Babylonians when he was a teenager. He remained in exile for 70 years. During that time, the Lord displayed His power in and through Daniel in various ways. He also gave him dreams and visions with regard to the end of time. Daniel never saw these visions fulfilled (Hebrews 11:39-40).
The people of Israel (pretty much the entire Old Testament; especially Exodus and the books of the Prophets) – the people of Israel seemed to always be in waiting. Sometimes due to their disobedience and sometimes due to the Lord’s grand purposes. They waited for the Messiah, the Promised One, Jesus Christ, from the glimpse of God's plan given in Genesis 3:15. They waited for 400 years to be rescued from Egypt. They waited for 40 years in the wilderness for the Promised Land while a disobedient generation died off. They waited, in silence, between the Old Testament and New Testament for 400 years.
Blind Beggar (John 9) – While Jesus was traveling with His disciples, they came across a blind beggar. This man had been blind from birth. The disciples asked Jesus whether his blindness was from the sins of his parents or from his own sin. Jesus said it was neither. This man was born blind so that God could show His glory through him. He was born blind so that Jesus could heal him at that moment. And He did. Jesus healed the man and he went away rejoicing. He experienced the healing power and mercy of God and encountered Jesus Christ, God in the flesh. He would have missed out on these things had he not suffered blindness. The Bible does not say how old this man is, but he is a grown man, and he had to wait many, many years for God to reveal the purpose of his blindness.
Lazarus (John 11) – Lazarus and his sisters, Martha and Mary, were dear friends of Jesus. One day, Lazarus became very ill, so his sisters sent for Jesus. Jesus, however, did not come. Because He loved them, He ignored them (John 11:5-6) and delayed in coming. During that delay, Lazarus died. By the time Jesus decided to answer the sisters’ call, Lazarus had been dead for four days. Jesus, however, knew what He was doing. He was in control the whole time. With a word, He raised Lazarus back to life. Oh the glory and power of that moment! These sisters as well as Lazarus and the Jews that were with them saw God bring someone back from the dead. But they had to wait four days in grief and misery to understand Jesus’ delayed response. I’m sure they would say it was worth the wait.
The death of Christ (Matthew 27; Mark 15; Luke 23; John 19) – Jesus Christ is the Promised Savior. It was planned from before time began that He would come to save sinners (Acts 2:23;4:28). His disciples and others that believed in Him and followed Him had placed all their hope in Him. Then He died. He was crucified like a common criminal and buried in a tomb. For three days, they reeled from what they had just seen. Their Hope had just been executed. They were stunned. Then on the first day of the week, the tomb was empty. Jesus was gone. His body wasn’t stolen or misplaced; He was alive. He had conquered death and sin and Satan and was now the glorified Lord that they had believed Him to be. Their hope was now secure and final. Jesus had did for them what no one else could do. And they only had to wait three days.
I could go on and on with examples from the Bible, but I won’t. The waiting continues for us who claim to follow Christ. The disciples and apostles in the New Testament (see the Book of Acts and Revelation) were waiting for Christ to come back. We wait for that too.
But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. Romans 8:25
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