How do you react when you are told that you will have to wait longer than you expected for an appointment? Or when you discover that the traffic is at a standstill on the freeway? Or that your flight has been delayed for several hours meaning that you will undoubtedly miss your connecting flight? The natural tendency is to have increased anxiety and to wonder how these delays will affect all of your plans. For some people these times can mean an increase in their blood pressure. As the seed thoughts of worry and fear start to grow, waiting can even make some people respond to life with outbursts of frustration and anger. The questions of “why?” or “why me?” can sometimes override the desire for patience and the willingness to look to God for peace.
An even greater challenge for those of us who desire to “live by faith” is waiting on God to do the things that He has promised to do for us in His Word. No Old Testament hero occupies more focus in the New Testament than Abraham. Perhaps it is because Abraham learned both through failure and success that God’s ways were far superior to his own plans. He learned that it was always best to listen to God and to follow Him even when the destination was not clear. He discovered that God would definitely keep His promises, but that His timetable might be very different than he had anticipated. When his biggest test came, Abraham’s faith was strong enough to believe “Yahweh-Yireh” (the LORD will provide”) and that He would still “bless him and multiply his descendants beyond number.” He was willing to “wait on the LORD”.
How do you respond when it feels like God is asking you to do something that seems impossible? What helps you when God asks you to wait for His timing and for His direction? Where do you find hope? How do you keep your eyes on God’s promise of eternal life with Him?
