Scripture Focus
“and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.”
Isaiah 61:3 NIV (https://www.bible.com/111/isa.61.3.niv)
“Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin, to see the plumb line in Zerubbabel’s hand.” (The seven lamps represent the eyes of the Lord that search all around the world.)”
Zechariah 4:10 NLT (https://www.bible.com/116/zec.4.10.nlt)
“When Jesus arrived at Bethany, he was told that Lazarus had already been in his grave for four days.”
John 11:17 NLT (https://www.bible.com/116/jhn.11.17.nlt)
We live in a culture of immediate gratification. We become impatient if we don’t see results immediately. We become irritated when things take a long time to complete. We want things NOW and have a fear of missing out (FOMO). Waiting (and patience) in our culture is often discouraged and devalued.
However, what does God say about waiting? If God did not allow us to wait for things in life, and instead allowed us to have everything that we wanted (when we wanted it), how would this change us? Would our faith and relationship with God increase? Would we trust God more? Would we be more grateful, selfless and generous? Of course not! We would become the direct opposite. It is during the periods of waiting on God that our faith and relationship with God increases.
Waiting on the Lord is often extremely challenging. It is challenging as we do not have a date as to when God will answer a prayer. This is something we do not have control over. In the book of Zechariah, we read about the people of Israel who were taken captive by the Babylonians (and later Persians). The people of Israel worshipped at the Temple in Jerusalem. When the people of Israel were taken as prisoners, their Temple was destroyed. The people of Israel had no hope of returning to their homeland or worshipping at their own Temple. Yet, God heard the prayers of the people of Israel. He answered the prayer to return to Jerusalem and to rebuild the Temple at Jerusalem. However, this process was not instantaneous, it took many years before the prayer was answered.
In the Book of John, chapter 11 , we read about the story of Lazarus. Lazarus, and his sisters (Mary and Martha) were close to Jesus. Lazarus became ill and died. Jesus went to see Mary and Martha after a delay of several days. When Jesus finally arrived at the tomb of Lazarus, He found that Lazarus was buried for four days. Both Mary and Martha met Jesus. They both were upset that their brother had died. They both told Jesus the same thing: If you had come sooner, Lazarus would not have died. We can learn from this passage that God’s timing is never off. As Lazarus had been dead for several days, there was no question that he had died. Jesus had the tomb opened and shouted for Lazarus to come out of the tomb. We then read about Lazarus (the previously dead man) who then walked out of his tomb, fully alive! It was only a miracle that God could have done, but it required His timing.
Remember this: If our prayers are answered quickly, we would not need put our faith in God. God is encouraging us to be patient. He hears our prayers. He is working on the things that we have prayed for. Even when it looks like the situation is getting worse, He is still working!! Thank God, even when you are waiting for Him to answer your prayer. The end results will be amazing. God will make beauty for our ashes. He will use all circumstances for our good. He will give us a Hope and a Future.
Let us pray
Heavenly Father,
We thank You for every reader of this blog right now. We know the world has been waiting for this pandemic to be over and life to return to normal. We know You are working on it. We pray that You will deliver us all from this virus. We pray for Your Grace, Your Strength and Your Peace as we wait on You to work things out for our good. Even though we can’t see it, we know You are the God of the impossible situations. Fill us with Your Holy Spirit and Power to endure this period of testing. Help us to be like gold tested in fire and to trust You through all of life’s storms. Bring deliverance to us all through Your Miraculous Hand. We surrender all of our burdens and prayer requests into Your Hands.
We ask all these things in Jesus name.
Amen.
If anyone has not received Jesus as their Lord and Savior and wishes to do so, please say the prayer below:
Heavenly Father,
Please forgive me for my sins.
I invite You Jesus into my heart as my Lord and Savior.
Fill me with Your Holy Spirit. Help me to follow You.
I ask this in Jesus name.
Amen
Please feel free to email me with any prayer requests at Hisdaughter@convowithgod.com
Prayer requests are always confidential.