Inspirational Sunday

"Wait on the Lord!"

Psalm 27:14 (NKJV)

Rae's Thought: Last week, I realized that I'm currently in a season of waiting: waiting for my Boaz; for my finances to get better; to have kids; to become a successful entrepreneur and a published author; to finally become Dr. Weakly...the list goes on. It seems like all I'm doing at this time is waiting. During my devotionals, God talked to me about waiting and trusting in Him. He brought to mind two examples - one of someone who didn't wait and one who did.

God had promised Sarah that He would bless her so that she will be the mother of nations. He promised that kings of peoples would come from her. Unfortunately, Sarah got impatient and gave Abraham her maidservant, Hagar, so they could have a son through her. The thing is, God promised Sarah that He'd make her mother of nations, not Hagar. Sarah's impatience cause a lot of unnecessary heartache.

David was a young teen when Samuel anointed him as God's replacement of Saul, the king of Israel, but he didn't see that promise come to pass until years later. Those years weren't exactly easy years either - he faced a giant, dealt with Saul's murderous attempts, went against huge armies, lost his best friend, was always on the run from his enemies - but David kept waiting. Even during his reign, he waited on and trusted God, proving that he clearly deserved the title, "man after God's own heart".

Have you ever had to wait on God? Not always an easy thing to do, is it? Sometimes, it seems like doing things for yourself is easier than waiting. I mean, who knows how long God's going to take, right? If you're not careful, Satan will convince you to take matters into your own hands. It is important for us not to entertain Satan and his devious thoughts. Resist him and he'll no other choice but to flee.

I love this quote by Michelle McKinney Hammond, author of Sassy, Single, and Satisfied: "You never know what you are getting if you conjure something up on your own. When we move out of time or out of season, we forfeit the protection of God over our lives as well as our hearts...Perhaps we don't understand why He does what He does or why He takes so long, but He knows best and He is sovereign..." Waiting on God is not always easy, but the alternative - doing things my way - is even worse. God works on His own time, not mine.

The way I see it, I have a choice: I can grow impatient and take matters into my own hands like Sarah, which will more than likely yield disastrous results; or I can wait and trust God like David, which can earn me the title "a woman after God's own heart". I truly believe that, if I wait on God, He will bless my diligence and patience. So, I choose to wait and trust that He knows what He's doing, no matter how long it takes. It could be years before I see His promises come to pass for me, but I'll wait. It may look like God has forgotten about me, but I'll wait. Time may seem like it's running out, but I will wait! How about you?