WAITING ON GOD | STAYING STRONG IN FAITH.

Do you consider yourself a patient person?

I’m not a very patient person, when I want something done, I want it done!
Waiting has never been easy for me, and God gave me Bruno, my beloved husband who tests my patience all the time.
His motto is: why should I do it today if I can do it tomorrow?

When I ask him to do something, as an impatient woman, I want him to do it right away but Bruno, being Bruno, always leaves it and does it later. For instance, last year, Bruno had the idea of buying a bike rack, he said that it would make our garage more organized and he was right, it would. I was against this at the beginning because I knew he wouldn’t install right away and it would be just one more thing piled in the corner just waiting to be installed.
 
However, one thing I can always rely on is that he will do it. I never know when, but he always does. Sometimes I get so impatient that I prefer doing it myself, but if I just waited my control off, for sure Bruno would do it.

What about with God? When you ask God something but you don’t hear His answer for some time, right then, are you a patient or impatient person?

When you search for the word “faith”, the first definition that appears is: “complete trust or confidence in someone or something.” However, in the Bible you can also find a perfect definition of Faith in Hebrews 11:1: “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”

For me, faith is the confidence that God will always do the best for his children, even when we do not know what the best is. Through Jesus, we became children of God and even if a mother forsakes her children, God will never forsake us.

Jeremiah 29:11 – “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

But the waiting period, for us, the impatient, it is so hard. We have to wait with the conviction that God has the best. With Faith.

Waiting on a promise

There are two different stories in the Bible with two different paths that lead to the same thing ~the fulfillment of God’s promise.

First, there is Abraham.
God promised Abraham that he would be a father to many nations. He promised to give him a child even in his old age. Abraham and his wife Sarah were patient at the beginning, but after 10 years waiting, they lost patience and lost faith. They wanted to get things done themselves, and not just wait ‘blindly’ on God to fulfill His promise.

God did not take back his promise for their lack of faith and patience, He instead started a new covenant with them. He included all the children of Abraham in the covenant, and from them the nations were formed. However, as a consequence of their lack of faith and patience, the nations created by one father became enemies to each other. We need to remember that, God doesn’t need our help. He knows the plans He has for us, and all we must do is to trust in Him and wait on Him.

Then, there is Joseph.
Joseph was the favorite son of his father Israel. When he was just a teenager, God gave him a dream and, on his dream, he would reign over his brothers. When he told this dream to his brothers, they got even more jealous and angry at him. They decided to sell him as a slave to the Ishmaelites and the Ishmaelites took him to Egypt and sold him to one of pharaoh’s officials. Joseph was promoted to be the leader of Egypt, second only to Pharaoh. He ended up saving his brothers from starvation, the very brothers who sold him into slavery.

We see God’s promise being fulfilled in Joseph’s life. Joseph waited patiently on God, He knew the promise God had for him, and he knew that it would be fulfilled. Differently from Abraham, Joseph did not try to do things by himself. He was tested, he went through some trials, but he kept being faithful and trusted God.

Are you like Abraham and Sarah, who gets impatient and tries to get things done by yourself? Or are you a Joseph, that waits and trusts God even when things are so difficult?

Waiting on God for an answer

But what about when we still need an answer?

I think that when we feel lost, with no answers, it is harder to wait on God. When we have a promise, we might not know exactly when it will be fulfilled, but we have an idea of what is coming and what to expect. However, when we don’t even know what to expect, what to do, where to go, and in the uncertainties, it takes more faith and trust to know that God will come through.

Paul, had to wait 3 days in blindness, for the answer that God would give through Ananias. But , let me get your attention! didn’t we read earlier, that God know the plans He has for us? That He wants us to prosper and to have a future? Isn’t that already a promise? An answer that confirms everything will be ok? When we read the Bible, we can find many promises that God has made for us.

• Psalms 37:5-7
  “Commit you way to the Lord; trust in him and He will do this: He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun.”
• Romans 8:28
  “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who^[a] have been called according to his purpose.”

Reading through the Bible, God’s word is filled with many promises from the God the father to us His children. Therefore, know that you too have promises waiting to be fulfilled.

THE PERIOD OF WAITING CAN TAKE MUCH LONGER THAN YOU EXPECT

God never lies, when the period of waiting is too long and God’s promises has not been fulfilled yet, trust that He is only preparing the way.

We are God’s masterpiece. If an artist makes a masterpiece, he wants it to be showcased in the best gallery possible, even if the way to the gallery is longer, with holes and mud. He will take the most difficult path just to make sure his masterpiece is in the best place it could be. God also wants us to be in the best gallery possible, and sometimes, the way to this gallery is longer, muddy and with holes.

Remember, we need also to accept when God’s answer is “No” but also know that faith and trust increases when you have a good relationship with God. The closer you are to God, the easier it will be for you to be confident that He is working on your behalf.

I don’t know which season of life you are in right now, but I know that God has a plan for you. Even if it seems that He is silent, He is working on your behalf. When your wishes do not correspond to God’s plan, be rest assured and know that His plans are better.

Let’s get excited with the unknowing, waiting on God and knowing that He is in control

God bless,

Aline Lubascher