25b — Waiting for God (Bible Meditation)
Why Does God Make Us Wait? —
Waiting can be really hard — as Martha and Mary discovered when they were waiting for Jesus to come heal their brother Lazarus. (John 11:21)
Here are four reasons God makes us wait:
1) Every stage of our life story is important — not just the active parts and the ending. We have a tendency to want to jump ahead of the story line. (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8)
2) Waiting plays an important part in building hope and faith — traits God highly values. (Hebrews 11:1-2, 6)
3) God is not our employee. He holds the lead position and is the one who decides when the time is right, because he is the only one who can see all the pieces that need to come together. (Job 38-42)
4) We can only comfort others in times of confusion and sorrow if we have experienced God’s comfort for ourselves. (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)
The following conversation between Corrie Ten Boom and her father in the book The Hiding Place helps us better understand God and the waiting process.
Father sat down on the edge of the narrow bed.
“Corrie,” he began gently, “when you and I go to Amsterdam — when do I give you your ticket?”
I sniffed a few times, considering this. “Why, just before we get on the train.”
“Exactly. And our wise Father in heaven knows when we’re going to need things too. Don’t run out ahead of Him, Corrie.”
My Prayer
Listen to this music video called Waiting Here for You by Christy Nockels. Join in worshipfully as you recommit to wait on the Lord to answer your requests in his time.
