Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. Psalm 27:14

We have become impatient people. We’re so used to being able to satisfy our curiosity about any subject, compliments of our smart phones, that we don’t like to wait to find out anything!

There’s an interesting story about waiting recorded in the Old Testament book of Kings. Benhadad, the King of Syria, was about to invade Israel, so the King of Israel sent a messenger to Elisha, a prophet. Benhadad was impatient and distraught. He blamed Elisha for the problem, saying, “What! Should I wait for the Lord any longer?”  But, says the scripture, Elisha sat in his house, waiting on God (2 Kings 6:32). God sent help but Benhadad died and never saw it.

Many of our greatest mistakes are made because we have side-stepped the counsel of Scripture. You marry someone who isn’t spiritually united with you because you’re afraid of being single or compromise your integrity for a much-needed business deal.

Waiting lets God settle the issue.  For seven long years David awaited the fulfillment of God’s promise that he would be king, and wrote about that experience, saying, “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes” (Psalm 37:7). Do you know what “fretting” is?  It means you fume when your enemies or adversaries seem to get ahead and you are left waiting.

Waiting is not wasted time; it is invested by faith in a sovereign God who has everything in control. It is a simple act of contrite submission to the truth that God has a plan for you and will answer, in His perfect timing.