Waiting Is Worthwhile

 Psalm 40:1-3

1 I waited patiently for the Lord; And He inclined to me, And heard my cry.

2 He also brought me up out of a horrible pit,

Out of the miry clay, And set my feet upon a rock, And established my steps.

3 He has put a new song in my mouth—

Praise to our God; Many will see it and fear, And will trust in the Lord.

One of the biggest things I have a hard time with in my walk is waiting.  As a child of the 80’s and who is generally classified as “Generation X”, I think our generation would have been better classified as “Generation Drive-Thru.”  My generation was one that grew up with the fast food wars of the 80’s.  Who could get out the flashiest, tastiest, food item out to you cheap and quick.  The television was full of commercials showing Ronald McDonald, The Burger King, Dave Thomas, etc.  trying to convince us that they would help us have a good meal and better utilize our time.  

Then came the internet and the “browser” wars.  Now, now, now.  Who was faster, etc.

Hopefully by now, you catch my drift on what I’m getting with this.  We have become a civilization that hates to wait, we want it now!  However, if we step back and look, that impatience has also been our downfall. 

We rush things out of production just because we want it and then complain because it doesn’t work right.  A couple days after Christmas, that has already been proven with my own nephews.  While I tried to urge them to be patient about getting one of the new video game consoles this year until we are sure they worked all the bugs out, they didn’t want to wait.  Guess what I have heard the past couple days?  “It’s fun, and neat, but I wish they woud fix this, that, etc.”   We do the same with the new phones, the new cars, etc.  We want them rushed to us and then complain because they have faults in them.

We do the same as God’s people.  In 1 Samuel 8, we read how Israel wanted to rush things.  God had established a system of judges to rule the nation of Israel.   These judges were men and women of God who would directly seek God for any counsel in regards to the judgement of the nation.  It truly was “one nation under God.”  It worked wonderfully.  While the people would still disobey, the prosperity and the growth of Israel was phenomenal during this time.  However, in 1 Samuel 8, we read how the nation of Israel wanted to look like everyone else.  They wanted the next flashy thing.  They wanted a king.  Now, God promised them that one day they would get a king, but it would be in His timing.  However, the people complained like spoiled children and God decided to let them have what they wanted and face the consequences.

What ended up happening?  They got Saul as king.  While Saul was tall and handsome and made for a good looking king, he was by no means wise.  God would give him direction but Saul always felt like he could “improve” on the commands of God.  That’s another devotional in itself.  Due to that disobedience, Israel suffered and God told Saul, he would be replaced.

We must be patient and wait if we want God’s finest for us.

Patience is hard work! This is especially true when we are waiting on God, who keeps to His own timetable. But believers who trust Him to deliver can look forward to rich blessing.

A person’s willingness to be patient reveals the value of what he or she desires. No one goes wrong waiting for the Lord to send His best in His perfect timing. Of course, believers don’t receive everything they ask for. At times, God simply says no. Other times, He adjusts our desires to match His. In our humanness, we can’t possibly know all the details of a situation. So we ask for what we think we need, based on our limited information. A submissive heart accepts the Father’s gentle redirection. When the awaited object of desire comes, it may not look like what we originally requested, but it will be exactly what we need.

Another benefit is that waiting patiently on the Lord is an awesome witness. When He responds, others see the reality of God, His faithfulness, and the wisdom of our commitment. In addition, our own faith is strengthened. Fools rush to seize their prize, but wise believers know that blessing will come in God’s good time.