I know that you are waiting on God to do something in your life. You are waiting on Him to move in a mighty way. I have been praying for God to manifest a particular blessing in my life. I mean I have been waiting and waiting and waiting. I will be honest, impatience is starting to set in. But I know and trust that He is able to do "exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us." (Ephesians 3:20 NKJV). As I was praying this morning (on the plane), I asked God to reveal to me what I needed to do differently. Am I not praying enough? Do I need to give more? I said "Lord, what do I need to do?" He whispered to me, "You need to use your waiting power!"
It took me a few minutes to really grasp His response to me. Waiting power? I didn't get it so I began to speak those scriptures that I turn to when I need some reassurance that God is working on my behalf. When I went to Ephesians 3:20, God's response became clear to me. The end of the verse says "...according to the power that works in us." God gives us the power to bring our blessings into manifestation. The power that we need to use varies from time to time and is different for various situations. For this situation, God is telling me to wait on Him and trust His timing. Waiting can be a very difficult thing to do when we really need something to happen. We can't rush God and moving outside of His will only makes things worse.
Why is waiting so hard? It is because, as a part of a fallen humanity in an immediate gratification society, we often feel that we have to take matters into our own hands and on our own time. Yet in Psalm 27:14, God says "Wait for the Lord; Be strong, and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the Lord." When we do it God's way, the situations always turn out for the best. To me, the most important part of waiting is learning to wait the right way. "I wait for the Lord, I expectantly wait, and in His word do I hope. I am looking and waiting for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, I say, more than watchmen for the morning." (Psalm 130:5-6 Amplified)
The watchmen in this verse were waiting for the night to pass and for the sun to rise. They were waiting for the darkness to go away. They expected that morning would soon come because God had never failed to bring the bright sun after a short period of darkness. Waiting involves an expectation that God is about to manifest blessings in your life. Just like God never fails to bring the sunshine, He will never fail in bringing His promises to pass in your life. So if God is calling us to wait on Him, how do we use our waiting power and wait the right way?
I will share with you the revelation that I received through prayer and studying The Word about waiting on The Lord. There are some keys to waiting God's way in order for His greatest blessings to manifest in our lives.
Keys to Waiting the Right Way
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Waiting means that you have to fully believe God and expect that He is going to come through for you! We must wait on Him with confidence and trust that He knows what He is doing. This means being careful not to take matters into our own hands just because our desired timing doesn't match with His designed timing.
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Focusing on God's character will make your waiting period easier to endure. When waiting causes us to doubt, it is then that we must get into His Word to remind ourselves of how He works. God is a God of order and He never breaks His promises. He wants us to have confidence in His design, character, timing and most of all, His power.
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Waiting the right way means turning your focus away from what others have and focusing on what God has for you. Many times we look at the lives of others and wonder when God is going to work the same in our lives. God has a unique purpose and design for each of us. In your waiting period, tell God that you trust Him and want only what He has for your life. (Psalm 37:7-9)
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We must earnestly seek The Lord while we wait. This means that we must spend time in prayer, study The Word and confess God's promises over our lives. We must also use this waiting time to examine our hearts and our attitudes. If they are not right in His eyes, we may be blocking our blessings.
- Never grow weary while doing well. Many times we feel that we are walking in obedience but still not reaping the harvest. The harvest is coming so rest in His perfect timing and use your waiting power! (Galatians 6:9)
- Be Still - Never make a move that God has not told you to make. Moving without His permission will take you out of His will. Always do what is right according to Him. (Psalm 37:34)
Waiting is a test of our faith and trust in God. He uses these periods to see how we will react in the midst of adversity. Christ wants us to be content with what we have and He wants us to fully trust His plan. Waiting is not easy to do, but prayer and The Word gives us the power that we need to wait faithfully on Him. When things don't seem to be happening fast enough for you, trust His timing. When things don't turn out like you hoped they would, trust His design. God knows the beginning and the end of everything. He sees what we don't. I have been told that the greatest blessings take the longest time. God is always working on our behalf even when we can't see it. When you feel like you are at the end of your waiting rope, cling to Him and be content with where you are and wait for Him to take you where He desires for you to go!
"I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength." (Philippians 4:11-13 NIV).
God gives you the strength that you need to wait on Him. Use that waiting power! Your blessing (and mine too!) is coming very soon. Be encouraged and show God how much you love Him through your display of how much you trust Him!
Until Next Time,