God’s Waiting room
From Psalm 27:14 we read, “Wait on the LORD: be of good courage and He shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.”
ARE YOU IN GOD’S WAITING ROOM? One man prayed and asked, “God, what is a million years like to You?” God replied, “A million years is like a minute.” Then the man asked, “God, what is a million dollars like to You?” God said, “A million dollars is like a penny to Me.” The man asked, “God, could I have one of Your pennies?” To which God replied, “Sure! Just a minute!” Well, I’m not sure how long one of God’s minutes might be. I do know, “that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day” (2 Peter 3:8). God operates by a much different time clock than ours. Maybe that’s why one of the most difficult, yet most rewarding, things in the Christian life is learning to wait on God. Let’s face it, most of us are not good at waiting. Whether it’s waiting in lines at a restaurant, the grocery store or being backed up traffic, we don’t like waiting. We’ve been conditioned in this fast-paced world to get what we want when we want it and get it now. That kind of thinking can cause us to get frustrated with the Lord. Why? Because God doesn’t work in our time frame or according to our schedules. For example: He seldom answers our prayers immediately. That’s why Jesus described praying as asking, seeking and, sometimes, knocking before we get an answer to our prayers (Mat. 7:7).
TWO VITAL QUESTIONS. The Bible answers two important questions about waiting on the Lord: 1st question: WHEN SHOULD WE WAIT ON GOD? How am I to know for sure I’m in God’s waiting room? The Bible gives three examples of when to wait: 1. WHEN CIRCUMSTANCES ARE UNCONTROLABLE. The book of James has much to say about waiting. It says, “Behold the farmer waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth…” (Ja. 5:7). A farmer must plant seed, but he can’t make the seed grow or yield a crop quicker. He can’t make it rain or cause the sun to shine. He has to wait. Sometimes you and I, like the farmer, have to wait. We plant the seeds of faith through prayers we pray, the promises from God’s Word we claim, or the Word we’ve planted like seed in people’s hearts. But then we must wait on God to do only what on He can. Are you facing an uncontrollable circumstance in your life today? Are there decisions that others have made that have put you in a position of difficulty? You’ve heard it said, “Don’t just stand there, do something!” Maybe God is saying to you, “Don’t just do something, stand there and wait on me!” 2. WHEN PEOPLE ARE UNCHANGEABLE. Also in James, the Lord reminds us of an, “example of patience” in the Old Testament prophets (Ja. 5:10). Those prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, etc.) warned God’s people for years to turn back to God. Jeremiah, for example, preached for 40 years and never saw a convert. He became very discouraged and almost gave up, but decided he couldn’t (Jer. 20:9). Those Old Testament prophets knew only God can change people’s hearts. Are you trying to change someone who seems unchangeable? Maybe it’s your mate, a wayward child, or a co-worker. Remember only God can change a person. You must continue to pray and wait on Him to do what only He can do! 3. WHEN PROBLEMS ARE UNEXPLAINABLE. James counsels us again about waiting on God when he says, “You have heard of the patience of Job…” (5:11). Job is the supreme example of a person waiting during unexplainable difficulties. He lost his ten children; all of his possessions; his livelihood; his health…he was covered with painful, puss filled, sores from his head to his feet; he lost his friends who accused him and he lost his reputation. On top of all that, his nagging wife told him to just curse God and die (Job 2:9). And the worst part of it all was the fact Job didn’t even know why he was going through all of the troubles he was facing. His problems were unexplainable. Yet, in the midst of it all, Job cried, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him” (Job 13:15). Job reminds me that just because things don’t make sense to us, it doesn’t mean it doesn’t make sense to God. Remember this…*God’s people don’t live by explanations, we live by promises! That’s why our verse for today encourages us to, “Wait on the Lord and be of good courage: wait I say on the Lord.” 2nd question: HOW ARE WE TO WAIT ON GOD? Waiting time is a time to pray…1. “LORD, AM I OBEYING YOU COMPLETELY?” James 1:22 says, “Be ye doers of the Word, not hearers only deceiving yourselves.” Sometimes we act like we’re waiting on God when it’s God waiting on us. God’s Word is God’s will. Many believers are not obeying things that God has clearly revealed in His Word. Why should God show us more He would have us do when we’re not obeying Him in what He’s clearly shown us in the Bible? While we wait on the Lord, we should obey Him completely. Ask yourself…am I waiting on God? Or, is God waiting on me? Ask the Lord while waiting, “Lord, show me areas in my life where I’m not being obedient.” 2. “LORD, AM I TRUSTING YOU ONLY?” God’s delays are to prepare us. Waiting time is teaching time…He’s teaching us to depend upon Him, not the outcome. Sometimes the answer becomes our idol. While waiting, we must learn to cling to the Giver, not just the gift. We should stop praying, “God, change my situation,” and start praying, “God, change me!” So, remember as you wait…Waiting time is never wasted time! As the wise Psalmist says to us today, “Wait on the LORD: be of good courage and He shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.”