Waiting

The definition for praying, according to the Oxford on-line dictionary is, “Address a solemn request or expression of thanks to a deity…Wish or hope strongly for a particular outcome or situation.” I was curious about how many Americans pray. The Washington Post had an article posted about this entitled, “Most Americans Believe in Higher Power, Poll Finds, by Jacqueline L. Salmon (Washington Post Staff Writer, posted on Tuesday, June 24, 2008; Page A02). It stated that most “Americans believe that angels and demons are active in the world, and nearly 80 percent think miracles occur…The study detailed Americans' deep and broad religiosity, finding that 92 percent believe in God or a universal spirit…More than half of Americans polled pray at least once a day.” 

I wonder how many of those that pray are willing to accept one of the three answers the Lord gives to prayer which are, “yes,” “no,” or “wait.” Of the three answers the one that everyone seeks most if not all of the time is the “yes” answer. The Lord knows best. He knows when “yes” is for your best and when it is not. He also knows when “wait” is the best answer for the time being. Are we willing to wait though? Are we willing to remain obedient when God’s answer of a “yes” or “no” is not being given as quickly as we would like?

The Bible is full of stories of people that were unwilling to accept a “wait” answer and the consequences they received for their disobedience. I’ll share one example about Abraham. God promised him a son by his wife Sarah even though they were an elderly couple. They were unwilling to wait for their son which brought on a lot of bad consequences. Did they ever receive their promised son? Yes, twenty years later. “Then God did as he had promised, and Sarah became pregnant and gave Abraham a baby son in his old age, at the time God had said...” Genesis 21:1-2 (TLB)

The Bible is also full of people that did wait on the Lord. Hebrews 11 is known as the “Hall of Faith.” It lists those that lived in obedience and how their faith is the reason why they were successful. Can you imagine what would have happened to them if they had not waited on the Lord? Would Joshua and the people of Israel had been as triumphant when going into the Promised Land? Would Esther have been killed by her husband, the king, and in turn the people of Israel annihilated had she not waited for the appropriate time to speak to the king? Would Gideon and his 300 men have been successful if they had not waited on the Lord? What would have happened to Mary, the mother of Christ, if she had not waited on the Lord? She was an unwed teen-aged mother. She would have been stoned to death had her secret been let out. 

“Wait for the LORD; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the LORD.” Psalm 27:14 (NASB) I know I have had a hard time waiting on the Lord many times in my life but, my dear friends let me share this Truth with you. Every time I have waited on the Lord for His answer, the right answer, it was always attached with His blessings, love, peace and joy. When I chose not to wait what I received were headaches, frustrations, anxiety and heartaches. How about you? May we always wait on the LORD. May we live our lives in obedience, waiting…waiting for God’s answer. 

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Thank you for reading! My dear friends I pray these words may be of a blessing for you. I am praying for you. God bless!