Monday, July 30, 2012

Those Who Wait



I’m going to be honest. I’m impatient. It is an issue that the Lord knows and is dealing with me about. I don’t like waiting in long lines at the grocery store, or even when something a project I’m working on has to be re-done. However, I think in a country that is so blessed and privileged, that whole “patience” thing is unheard of. Yet it is one of the fruits of the Spirit, which obviously means that the Lord intended for us to walk in such things. We tend to overlook the fact that there are people in other areas who are desperate and in need of food, clean water, and shelter. But any, let me quit rambling.
I believe that lack of patience is a reflection of the selfish desires we have in our hearts. We want things to work out in the way that WE want it to. If something happens that doesn’t please us, we have to be mad at everything that stares us in the face.  It’s all about us. And that couldn’t be more wrong.  We have self-help books and watered down sermons that cater to our desires of the flesh. Our society tries to medicate the problem, yet this is wrong. We need to get to the ROOT to solve an issue. And the only way we can do that is with Jesus.
John 15:5 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.
                Apart from Jesus, we can do nothing. We can try to change on our own, but it is the Holy Spirit that brings permanent change. It is the Holy Spirit that sanctifies. It is the Holy Spirit that brings patience. It’s a very similar thing when considering believing and waiting on a promise that the Lord gives you. 
                Take for instance Abraham and Sarah. The Lord came and told Abraham that he would have a son. Of course it seemed to be unbelievable, as both were extremely old and Sarah couldn’t bear children. Yet that word still stood. And after a period of WAITING (including having a child through Abraham’s concubine Hagar, they were blessed with Isaac. And Sarah, who was skeptical at first, now had the joy and contentment of holding her own child in her arms. Genesis 21:6 "Sarah said, “God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me.” Doesn’t that just encourage you?
I believe that God used the story of Abraham and Sarah to set an example or shed hope, that even in an impossible situation like that, God came through.  To show that He is God! Ephesians 3:20 says, "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us" What is that power at work within us? The Holy Spirit. He desires to change you if you’ll let Him.
                Now, you may not be waiting for God to bless you with a child, but every waiting process is like a birthing/pregnancy, that like labor, is not comfortable. But the result of having that baby, that promise, getting that job, that need being met, those plans going through, is worth all the pruning and the stretching.  Your character is also developed as well, making you more like Christ, which is the most important goal.

                I just want to encourage you to just wait upon Him. To take Him at His word. Like Abraham we all have moments where we become skeptical, but we need to usher trust back in.  He is faithful to all His promises and loving toward all He has made. Rest in Him. He will NEVER fail you.