"I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD In the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the LORD.” Psalm 27:13
Hope must be coupled with patience. Without such, we sink into deep despair. The Psalmist knew that the safeguard against despair was full confidence in the future hope of “the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.” Surely his eyes of faith were fixed on the coming future kingdom of God on earth, when the fullness of God’s riches and blessings would be realized. Patient waiting, he knew, was essential in that hope will only be realized in our Father’s good time and way.
James 5:7-8 says, “Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains. You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near.”
A farmer cannot hasten the agricultural cycle. I remember well the comment of an elderly farmer who stated that farmers are the biggest gamblers of all: they plant the seed, and then gamble that God will produce a crop. His faith was in the God of the harvest who had faithfully provided for him over the years.
Our timeframe is not our Father’s. We long for and pray for the Second Coming of Jesus, but this great event is on a preset timetable of our Father’s choosing. Until that day, we must patiently wait in faith, hope, and prayer.
Patience is a virtual, but one not easily possessed by many of us. Further adding to impatience is a culture that extends the empty promises of instant and simple solutions. Aside of the fact that many solutions are only divinely possible, today’s complex problems require complex solutions.
Waiting is the process of character development. In waiting upon the LORD, we develop strength, courage, and resolve. In waiting we discover much more of God’s character as we wait for His actions. Waiting is a wonderful opportunity to know Him better, rather than to view Him as a kind of cosmic vending machine.
Our Father’s seeming delays must not be viewed as His denials. Just because the fullness of the kingdom has not yet come certainly does not mean it will not (it absolutely will!). Likewise, other answers we seek will come in HIs time and way, and not ours. Of course, there are those things He does indeed deny for our own good.
We easily focus on tangible results and answers as we wait upon the LORD. We do well to keep in mind that He is process-oriented in that His key priority is character development, making us fit for the coming Kingdom. Now that’s worth waiting for.
©Steve Taylor, 2022 --Used by permission
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