SEPTEMBER THEME — “SEEING THE CROSS FROM GOD’S PERSPECTIVE”
BEATS FROM YOUR PASTOR’S HEART
WAITING IS NOT WASTING
“But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength…” — Isaiah 40:31
Waiting is one of the hardest parts of the Christian life. We know how to pray. We know how to obey. We know how to work. But waiting can make us feel as though nothing is happening. We pray, and there seems to be no answer. We obey, and the door still does not open. We trust, and the circumstances still do not change. That is when the enemy begins to whisper, “God has forgotten you. Nothing is happening. You may as well give up.” But Isaiah 40:31 tells us something very different. Those who wait upon the Lord are not wasting their time. Waiting on God is not inactivity; it is active trust. It is faith holding its position when there is no visible evidence that anything is changing. It is saying, “Lord, I do not know when. I do not know how. I do not know what You are doing behind the scenes. But I know You.” Sometimes knowing who God is becomes enough to sustain us until we understand what God is doing.
WAITING TEACHES ME TO TRUST GOD’S TIMING
I want answers now, but God sometimes says, “Wait.” I want the door opened, but God sometimes keeps it closed. I want the burden removed, but God sometimes allows me to carry it longer. I want the miracle today, but God may be preparing an answer for tomorrow. The issue is not whether God is able, because I already know He is able. The issue is whether I trust Him enough to let Him decide when. Faith is not only believing that God can do something; faith is also believing that God knows the perfect time to do it. Sometimes an answer given too early would hurt us. Sometimes a door opened too soon would place us somewhere we are not prepared to stand. Sometimes God delays the answer because He is preparing the people, the circumstances, the timing, and even our own heart. We measure time by clocks and calendars, but God sees the whole picture. He knows what must happen before the answer arrives, what must change in me, what must change around me, and what must be arranged ahead of me. Waiting becomes an act of surrender when I can say, “God, I trust Your clock more than mine.”
WAITING REVEALS WHAT I REALLY BELIEVE ABOUT GOD
When God seems silent, my heart is exposed. Do I believe He is still good when I do not understand? Do I believe He is still faithful when nothing appears to be changing? Do I believe He is still working when I cannot see His hand? Do I believe He still loves me even when the answer has not come? Waiting reveals whether my confidence is truly in God Himself or merely in getting the answer I want. It is easy to praise God when the prayer is answered, but it is harder to praise Him while the prayer is still unanswered. It is easy to trust Him when the door opens, but it is harder to trust Him when it remains closed. Mature faith eventually says, “Even if I cannot see what You are doing, I know who You are.” God’s character does not change because my circumstances have not changed. He is still good. He is still wise. He is still loving. He is still sovereign. He is still faithful. The waiting place becomes a classroom where God teaches me that my faith must rest not merely in what He gives me, but in who He is.
WAITING PREPARES ME FOR WHAT GOD IS PREPARING FOR ME
Sometimes God must work in me before He changes what is around me. I may be praying for Him to change my circumstances while He is working to change my heart. I may be asking Him to remove the pressure while He is using the pressure to produce endurance. I may be asking Him to open the door while He is preparing me for what is on the other side. God is never late. He is never careless. He is never distracted. He has not misplaced your prayer, forgotten your name, or overlooked your situation. What looks like delay to me may actually be preparation in the hands of God. Joseph waited in prison before entering the palace. David waited after being anointed before sitting on the throne. Abraham waited for the promised son. Moses waited in the wilderness. The disciples waited in Jerusalem before Pentecost. Again and again in Scripture, God used the waiting period to prepare His servants for what was coming. Sometimes the miracle is not merely what God eventually does for me. Sometimes the miracle is what He does in me while I wait.
A farmer does not dig up the seed every morning to see whether it is growing. He plants it, waters it, and then he waits. For a while, nothing can be seen above the ground. The field may look unchanged. The soil may look silent. There may be no visible evidence that anything is happening. But underneath the surface, life is working. Roots are forming. The seed is breaking open. Something is happening before anything can be seen. That is often how God works. You may not see anything yet, but that does not mean God is doing nothing. Your prayer may seem buried like a seed. Your answer may still be beneath the surface. Your circumstances may look exactly the same today as they did yesterday, but God can be working in places you cannot see. Do not dig up the seed of faith because you became impatient. Keep trusting. Keep praying. Keep obeying. Keep waiting.
Do not mistake silence for absence. Do not mistake delay for denial. Do not mistake waiting for abandonment. If God has told you to wait, then waiting is presently an act of obedience. You do not have to understand every delay; you only have to trust the One who controls the timing. The same God who tells you to wait also promises to renew your strength while you wait. Instead of saying, “God, why are You taking so long?” begin asking, “Lord, what are You teaching me here?” Instead of asking only, “When will the answer come?” ask, “Who are You making me while I wait?” Waiting is not wasted when God is in it. One day you may look back and realize that the waiting place was one of the most important places God ever took you.
WARFARE PRAYER
Father, in the name of Jesus, I refuse to surrender my heart to fear, impatience, frustration, or unbelief while I wait. I reject every lie of the enemy that tells me You have forgotten me, abandoned me, or stopped working. Guard my mind when I cannot see the answer. Guard my emotions when the delay becomes difficult. Keep me from running ahead of You, forcing doors You have not opened, or taking matters into my own hands. Teach me to trust Your character when I cannot trace Your hand. Strengthen my faith in this waiting place. Help me remember that Your silence does not mean Your absence and Your delay does not mean You have denied me. I declare that You are faithful, You are present, You are wise, You are good, and You are working even when I cannot see it. Give me grace to pray, obey, wait, and watch expectantly. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
DAILY CHALLENGE
Take the one situation you are waiting on most right now and stop asking God for the answer first. Instead, pray, “Lord, I trust Your timing as much as I trust Your power. Help me to become everything You want me to become while I wait.”
MONDAY’S PRAYER NEEDS
Britany Smith
Darlene Kelley – Surgery went well
Darlene Thaxton
Ginny Ford
Kim’s McClain’s Mother
Rob Davis
Susan Bankston