Trusting and Waiting

 

Are You in the Waiting Room?
BY: GJRWM
IN: FEATURED ARTICLES, WATCHMAN LIFESTYLE, WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A WATCHMAN


I underwent major spinal surgery this year. It was not on my calendar, but God had other plans. One moment, most of my family were home enjoying the evening; the next moment my son and daughter were with my wife in the emergency waiting room while neurosurgeons and professional staff coordinated the 9+ hour emergency surgery.

Many know what it is like to be in the waiting room; praying, weary, waiting on word it’s over, and everything is going to be okay. Time seems to slow in the waiting room. Indeed, a watched clock does not tick.

Even when there is complete trust in a highly trained medical staff, the hospital waiting room is a difficult place to be. There is a parallel in the Spiritual realm. Many who say they trust in God struggle with patience. In an age where A.D.D. is common, and we demand instant gratification, it is easy to de-emphasize the importance of patience. However, when we lack patience, we lack the ability to trust God. Diminishing one diminishes both.

Consider this, long ago, Abraham and Sarai married, and for decades, prayed for children. When they were senior adults, God promised they would have a child. This was surprising, but wonderful news for the happy couple, who likely promptly began a 9-month countdown.

I can imagine Abraham going out to the shop to build a cradle. I can see Sarai working to child-proof the house and knitting a baby blanket. However, nine months later, there was no child. Nineteen years later, still no child. Genesis 15 records Abraham’s despair. Patience was waning. So, God encouraged Abraham by confirming His promise (Genesis 15:4-6).

This is a teaching story. Part of what we are to see is that Abraham and Sarai’s despair began when they imposed their expectations on God’s promise. Like most parents, they had ideas: 9 months, a baby boy, eight lbs., brown eyes, curly hair. This is common and demonstrates why patience is closely tied to trusting God.

As trials and tribulations increase in these last days, there will be many times when God’s plan and timing do not unfold the way we expect. That is okay. In fact, that is good and best. In such times, fervent prayer and absolute trust in God will help us persevere.

Patience is a character trait God appreciates and wants His children to develop. Galatians 5:22-23 notes that patience is one of the attributes of the Spirit given to every believer. However, just as a person with an ear for music can usually master an instrument more easily than one not musically inclined, they still must practice and work to develop musical skills.

The Fruit of the Spirit referenced in Galatians 5 is similar in that the Spirit doesn’t instantly make one patient, but rather provides incredible aptitude and ability to develop patience. Another analogy: If I want my body to have more muscle, God will not instantly change my body, but may provide a weight set.

There is a direct correlation between patience and trusting God, and as developing patience comes from enduring and learning from various trials, we must not fall into despair when the severe trials prophesied to come, arrive on our doorstep.

James 1:2-4 notes: “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds because you know that the testing of our faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

Watchmen must remember that the eyes of the world are on Christians who “encounter various trials.” Demonstrating faith, patience, and complete trust in God during the trials is a powerful witness.

“Don’t doubt in the dark what God has revealed to you in the light.” -Adrian Rogers



I Am A Watchman Ministries materials are copyrighted. Use and redistribution are subject to standard Fair Use Guidelines – Any use in published work (either print or ebooks) must include the copyright reference: “Copyrighted resource of iamawatchman, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.” NOTE: Articles which are re-posted online, in part or total, must include the above statement. We ask that re-posts also include an active link to www.iamawatchman.com

A Christian Challenge

Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season;

reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and 

instruction.  For the time will come when they will not 

endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears

tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers

in accordance to their own desires; and will turn away their

ears from the truth, and will turn aside to myths.

2 Timothy 4:2-4

Live Before You Die - day 7

"And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart" (Gal 6:9).

If we desire to discover God's will for our lives, we must learn to recognize the characteristics of His will. 

God has already gone to great lengths to reveal to us in His Word what His will is for everyone - I call this the "standard will of God."  But in addition to His standard will, God has something tailor-made for each of our lives.  I call this the "specific will of God."

The specific will of God for your life will never go against His standard will - what He has already revealed to us in His Word.

God has a "good" will for your life, but He also has a "perfect" will.  His perfect will and the blessings that accompany it are reserved for those who are willing to be radically obedient and to wait when necessary.  There are moments when God's way will seem so difficult, so prolonged, and so unrewarding, while our idea will seem much easier, much quicker, and so much more enjoyable.  But it is only an illusion.

Finding the will of God always requires faith for the impossible and a childlike dependence upon Him.  The Bible is filled with the accounts of men and women who found their destiny in the perfect will of God by doing things that were impossible for them to do on their own.

God has given us the freedom to choose whether or not we are going to follow His will.  Settling for less than God's best for our lives is often the easy road, and good things are often the greatest enemy of the best things.  There is a perpetual conflict in the Christian life between what is "good" and what is "God."  Whenever we choose to disobey and do things our own way, something is lost that can never be restored.  God will forgive and heal, but He will not turn back the hands of time.

Many people have a vision given to them by the Lord.  But a vision that is not embraced and nurtured through the appropriate season of preparation will invariably die.  When God gives a vision, we must take some kind of action, or that vision will never become anything more than a fantasy.

One of the biggest misconceptions about discovering the will of God is that if something is truly part of God's plan for you, there will be no struggle involved in accomplishing it.  That is a myth!  If God has called you to do something, you will almost certainly encounter a significant amount of struggle.  God may actually even allow failures along the way, because He is more interested in the worker than He is the work.  The journey is an important process that matters very much to God.  The process of following Him in obedience, step by step, through many unknowns, trials, and difficulties, is a significant part of our development and preparation.  God uses the journey to teach us faith, to refine our character, and to equip us for the greater challenges that lie ahead.

Don't make the mistake of thinking, even for a moment, that just because you don't know today what God's will is for your life that you are not making any progress.  Something is happening right now.  Your faith is being stretched, and your patience is being tried.  Your spiritual ears are being tuned as you listen to hear the voice of God's Spirit.  God always prepares us in advance for what He has in store for us! That process may be uncomfortable, but it is necessary nonetheless.

Daniel Kolenda, Live before you die