Why Wait?Sample

My girlfriend called me hysterically crying and distraught. Three of her children had walked away from God in shockingly profound ways. Her family was in crisis.

We immediately took to prayer. We prayed for their protection. We prayed that they would return to God, their family, and the body of Christ.

We consistently prayed for them for days, then weeks, then months, then years. At one point, we were gathered together with other women, and we wrote the names of all of our children down and laid them before the Lord, the way King Hezekiah laid Sennacherib, King of Assyria’s letter before the Lord in 2 Kings 19. We tearfully pleaded with God for answers from heaven.

What were we doing? We were waiting on the Lord. Do you remember the definition of waiting on the Lord from a few days ago? Waiting on the Lord means “praying while eagerly and hopefully expecting God to do what only He can do, while doing what I can do.”

As we prayed, my girlfriend did what she could do. She kept lines of communication open with her kids. She apologized for things for which she needed to apologize. She sought to help them where she could. She prayed and she did her part, while she waited on God to do what only He could do.

And our faithful, Almighty God has begun to do remarkable work. Her children have begun to communicate with her again, some for the first time in a long time. Some of her children have even apologized for their role in the relationship breakdown. Some have even begun to return to church and to communicate about God again!

While there is a long way to go, God is moving. God is answering. As we have learned, God is always well worth the wait.

Her experience has encouraged both of us, and many others NEVER TO GIVE UP during seasons of waiting. Our God hears us, even when it seems like nothing is happening, even when things seem to be getting worse.

Today’s reading reminds us of critical truth. As we wait on the Lord, we are not just “hoping for the best,” or sitting with “our fingers crossed.” No! We are hopeful because “He is our help and our shield” (Psalm 33:20). He is working, even when we think nothing is happening!

If you find yourself waiting for God to answer, commit today’s Bible passage to memory. Be encouraged today! Even as you wait, you can take heart and have hope!