"HAVING PATIENTLY WAITED, HE OBTAINED THE PROMISE." HEBREWS 6:15 (NAS)
Waiting is difficult, but it serves a vital purpose. Over 40 times in the Old Testament God says, "Wait." At 75, God promised to make Abraham the father of many nations. But he had to wait for 24 more years before he "obtained the promise." God promised to free Israel from Egyptian slavery, but it took 400 years, including 40 years in the wilderness, before it even began to come to pass.
Waiting isn't just a passive something we do until we get what we want. Indeed, active waiting produces patience, understanding, maturity, and character. What God accomplishes in us while we are waiting is often more important than the thing we are waiting for. Waiting also forces any potential weakness to the surface. The truth is that time spent waiting can be time spent learning and growing. Active waiting is not an excuse for dodging reality, shirking responsibility or not doing the right thing. For example, if you are in a financial mess because of overspending, don't sit around waiting for pennies from heaven. They're not coming! Instead, discipline yourself and make it a priority to learn sound financial principles like budgeting, tithing, and not buying unessential things until you can pay for them.
Active waiting is total reliance that even though God's timetable and ours is often very different His is always best. Active waiting takes making a daily decision to trust and obey God, even when things aren't going the way you plan.
Active waiting says, "Lord, I'm counting on You - and I don't have a back-up plan!"
(c)2006 Timothy L. Hudson, UGA Christian Campus Fellowship
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