By Carol Round –“At the right time, I, the Lord, will make it happen”—Isaiah 60:22 (NLT).
Time seems to pass more quickly as we get older. Andy Rooney, American radio and television writer, once said, “Life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer it gets to the end, the faster it goes.”
However, when we’re waiting for something or for someone, time seems to creep like a snail crossing a sidewalk. You’ve probably heard the expression, “Hurry up and wait!” We spend a lot of time waiting. Long checkout lines at the grocery store test our patience. Nothing is more frustrating than being put on hold while waiting to talk to a customer service representative. Ugh! My least favorite waiting time–especially if the company plays elevator music in the background.
We wait on people who are late for an appointment or wait in a doctor’s office for our turn to be
seen for an ailment. Waiting can be tiresome, especially if you’re waiting for an answer to prayer.
Waiting for An Answer to Prayer
Sometimes God answers our prayers immediately. I’ve had it happen. But most of the time, my prayers languish in heaven, waiting on God’s timing.
The following meme I saw on Facebook is a great reminder about waiting on God’s timing: Joseph waited 15 years. Abraham waited for 25. Moses waited 40 years, and Jesus waited 30. If God is making you wait, you’re in very good company.
In Psalm 90:4, the psalmist writes, “For a thousand years in your sight are like yesterday when it is past, or like a watch in the night.” In contrast to man’s grasp of time, God’s timing is not subject to the way a human being thinks. God doesn’t wear a watch.
Waiting on God is Beneficial
British preacher, author, and evangelist Charles Spurgeon wrote this about waiting on God: “If the Lord Jehovah makes us wait, let us do so with our whole hearts; for blessed are all they that wait for Him. He is worth waiting for. The waiting itself is beneficial to us: it tries faith, exercises patience, trains submission, and endears the blessing when it comes.”
As a praying mother and grandmother, I pray daily for my family. God has already blessed me with answers to some of my prayers. But I’m still waiting for Him to answer other petitions on their behalf.
Recently, I came across the following quote reminding me not to give up praying for an answer, no matter how many years it has been: Author Carol Kent shared the following on social media: “Today, revisit a prayer you’ve stopped praying. Bring it back to God—not to demand an answer, but to surrender it with trust.” Trust that at the right time, God will make it happen.
I always love hearing from my readers. Please e-mail me at [email protected] with your thoughts or visit my blog for more inspiration at www.carolaround.com. If you need a speaker or workshop leader, contact me at the above e-mail address or through my website. I’d be delighted to hear from you.
Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash
