Lately I’ve been writing about waiting on the Lord and not getting ahead of Him. The crux of the matter is this: having faith in God, believing in what He says and what He tells us, is imperative. We need to believe in Him no matter what. The second most important thing is that we love Him enough to hang in there and wait for Him. These are really the key ingredients to waiting on the Lord: faith and love.
Faith and love are so crucial in our walk with God. The Bible states that without faith we cannot please God. {Hebrews 11:6} Faith is what made Abraham the friend of God, as the Bible described him. He obeyed the Lord when he was told to leave his homeland and followed wherever the Lord led him to go. He didn’t even know the places he visited, never probably even heard of them before, but he packed up his belongings and his family and all the people that he took care of and followed the Lord. Faith is also the same key ingredient that made him offer his son Isaac years later, having experienced that God was able to give him a son through Sarah, she being 90 years old and he at 100. He came to understand that whatever God has said He was going to do, it will come to pass, no matter how long it takes. God is faithful. He will not ever lie.
In Luke chapter 18 Jesus Christ talked about a widow who begged an unjust judge to avenge her of her enemies. But the judge at first would not because he really did not care for her or for anybody else for that matter. But eventually because she kept coming pleading to him, he gave in to her request. Jesus tells us if the unjust judge who did not fear God or men avenged this poor widow, how much more will He avenge His own people that call upon Him day and night? Then Jesus had this to say to us:
Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth? {Luke 18:8}
God is looking for faith from us. Faith that will keep us believing in Him and waiting for Him. Like that persistent widow with the unjust judge, we must believe that the Lord rewards those that continuously come to Him and look to Him for His help. We must believe that He is “…able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.” {Ephesians 3:20}
But with this faith comes love. How much do we really love Him? Do we really love Him enough to hang in there and believe in Him? Remember Job, who lost and suffered so much? He loved God. When his wife had seen what had happened to him – his wealth taken away from him, all his children dead in one day, and finally his body wreaked with boils all over. She told him to curse God so he can die. His response to her was, “Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?” {Job 2:10} He wasn’t going to curse God and turn against Him. He was going to hang in there and continue to believe in Him and love Him. As matter of fact Job had this to say,
“Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him.” {Job 13:15}
Imagine that, even if God killed him, he will still trust in Him. This is the kind of faith and love God is looking for from each and every one of us. A love that is devoted and surrendered to Him completely. That no matter what happens, we will continue to believe in Him. Good or bad, we will still follow Him until the end.
Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. {Matthew 16:24}
That’s the beautiful thing about loving God and believing in Him, He will never fail us. Even though we might feel that we cannot wait any longer and we want to come up with our own plans, don’t do it. Wait on Him. Let’s remember Abraham, Job, Daniel and the many hosts of people that waited on the Lord in time’s past. He did not fail them. He came through for them no matter how long they waited for Him. If He came through for them, He will also come through for us. If you feel like you cannot hang in there or believe any longer, talk to Him – let Him know how you’re feeling. Ask for His strength to continue to believe in Him. Ask for more love for Him to continue to wait for Him. The Lord is very generous. His desire is to strengthen us to do what is good and pleasing before Him. So, ask for His grace and strength because He will give it. In the end, if we hang in there, He will come through for us.
“So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.” {Romans 9:16}
“In your patience possess ye your souls.” {Luke 21:19}
“But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.” {Matthew 24:13}
“But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” {Hebrews 11:6}
Prayer
Lord Jesus, I thank You Father, for Your merciful grace and compassion upon us today. I thank You Jesus for giving Your life for us to set us free from all the evil and the darkness of this world. We are not alone, Father if we continue to believe in You and talk to You. We may come short and fail in following You sometimes, but You will continue to give us help and strength if we don’t give up on You. Please Lord, help us to believe in You. Help us to love You. Give us faith and love for You that will bring us to endure until the end. You are our only help Jesus, there’s no one else. We have no strength of our own. We need You. Please help us. Only You alone love us enough to give Your life for us. Help us today Father to keep coming to You and keep believing in You. I pray all these things in Your most wonderful and precious name, Jesus. Thank You, Father. Amen.
