Devotional for 11/9/14
Waiting is so hard, especially when anticipation runs high like with children right before Christmas. It's not just children who have difficulty waiting, however. In this day and age when everything is expected to happen right away, even adults can have trouble waiting. People run red lights to avoid being stuck for one more cycle of the stoplight. Fast food makes meal time happen even faster than microwaving a frozen dinner. We get impatient even waiting for something to load on the computer and get upset when it takes more than 10 seconds. And a whole minute - forget it! That's just too long.
If God can be that patient with us, we should also be patient waiting for him. Sometimes it seems as if the Lord will never come to our aid. God is always there, but we aren't always aware of how he is working in our lives. We can take heart in knowing that He will never let us down - He will always be there for us, but in his own way and his own time.
Waiting is so hard, especially when anticipation runs high like with children right before Christmas. It's not just children who have difficulty waiting, however. In this day and age when everything is expected to happen right away, even adults can have trouble waiting. People run red lights to avoid being stuck for one more cycle of the stoplight. Fast food makes meal time happen even faster than microwaving a frozen dinner. We get impatient even waiting for something to load on the computer and get upset when it takes more than 10 seconds. And a whole minute - forget it! That's just too long.
What about when we are having difficulties? The tension of waiting is multiplied when we are struggling. We pray, yet it doesn't seem as though God hears us. Or He hears us but doesn't care that we are hurting. And what about when things happen in the world that just don't make sense to us? We ask, "How long will you let this go on, Lord?"
God has waited for us so many times - I'll go to church next week, I'll give more when I get a raise, I'll pray more starting tomorrow, etc. And then there are those pesky sins, daily limiting our conscious contact with God, or short comings that keep repeating in our lives. He is so patient with us and forgiving when we get tripped up on the same issues over and over. His patience never wears thin, even when we don't realize that what we are doing is wrong. God gives us the power to turn away from our sins and to follow him, even though he knows we will trip and fall again.
If God can be that patient with us, we should also be patient waiting for him. Sometimes it seems as if the Lord will never come to our aid. God is always there, but we aren't always aware of how he is working in our lives. We can take heart in knowing that He will never let us down - He will always be there for us, but in his own way and his own time.
Psalm 27:14 (NIV) Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.
Dear Lord, thank you for all the times you have been patient with me and forgiven me. Help me to wait for you patiently as well. May I remember your promise to always be with me and to give me the strength to make it through anything with your help. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Dear Lord, thank you for all the times you have been patient with me and forgiven me. Help me to wait for you patiently as well. May I remember your promise to always be with me and to give me the strength to make it through anything with your help. In Jesus' name, Amen.
written by Jan Andersen
Those who wait upon the Lord will renew their strength. They will mount up on wings like eagles. They will walk and not grow weary. They will run and shall not faint.
ReplyDeleteGod bless...