The Best Things Come to Those Who Wait

I have posted so often about waiting that I fear the topic has been exhausted.  But God just keeps bringing this theme into my life so I keep sharing it.  I'm not sure what I'm waiting for, but, like this devotion points out, there is the ever-present hope "that God's dream for [me] is just on the other side" of this wait.  Lest you should think that I'm sitting around twiddling my thumbs while I wait, please read this post. 

While I wait and hope for the future, I fully realize that sometimes the waiting is the end and not just the means.  A wise man once said, "For a long time it had seemed to me that life was about to begin - real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way. Something to be got through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, a debt to be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life." 

Our lives are a journey, a walk with God as He fashions our character to be ever more like Him.  Sometimes that is accomplished by fulfilling our dreams, but other times that is accomplished by putting us through trials we never thought we could handle and allowing us to see that "[God's] power is made perfect in weakness" and His "grace is sufficient for [us]" (2 Cor. 12:9-10).  Whatever the outcome of our wait, we can rest in the fact that "The Lord will fulfill His purpose for [us]" (Ps. 138:8) and "He who began a good work in you will carry it to completion until the day of Christ Jesus" (Phil. 1:6).

Here is the devotional I received yesterday that brought the idea of waiting back to the forefront of my mind:

"Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD." Psalm 27:14

We all hate to wait. In traffic. Long lines. For the last family member to get in the car. Test results. Or an answer to our prayers. Even when things are going good in our lives we hate waiting for the next positive moment to happen.

And often we don’t even know why we are waiting. But God does. He is an all-knowing God. He knows when you sit and when you rise; He perceives your thoughts from afar. He discerns your going out and your lying down; He is familiar with all your ways (Psalm 139). He knows the purpose for any waiting in your life. You can either wait patiently and learn what you can in the process or wait impatiently and miss whatever refinement God intends for you.

Either way, waiting is part of God’s plan. He may have you wait:
• to gain more knowledge
• for more favorable circumstances to arise
• until you have the support of others
• until financial provision is available
• or you are emotionally prepared

Pray as you wait. As you do, you’ll discover the value of letting things come in God’s time. You’ll also find the beauty in waiting—the possibility that God’s dream for your life is just on the other side.

Prayer: All-knowing God, I don’t like waiting. Lord, it makes me nervous. Calm me with Your Spirit that I may learn what I can in the waiting. Give me confidence that You are in control, so I will rest and wait patiently for Your guiding hand. Amen.

Bible Readings:
Monday: Psalm 40:1-3
Tuesday: Isaiah 30:18
Wednesday: Psalm 25:3-5
Thursday: Psalm 27:14
Friday: Lamentations 3:25-26
Saturday: Micah 7:7
Sunday: Psalm 37:7-9
(published by eWomen)