Hebrews 2:13 quotes from Isaiah 8:17-18 where we find these words, “I will wait for the Lord, who is hiding his face from the house of Jacob, and I will hope in him. Behold, I and the children whom the Lord has given me are signs and portents in Israel from the Lord of hosts, who dwells on Mount Zion.” (ESV)
In “The God Who Waits“, Motl Ministries writes,
In the midst of our waiting it is easy to lose sight of the reality that we aren’t the only ones waiting. The Lord might be waiting and longing to do a work in our lives just as much as we are waiting and longing for Him to do it.
Somehow it feels strange to picture the Almighty waiting for us, but based on [Isaiah 30:18 – see Prayer that God would be gracious to us], He might be doing just that very thing. Even though God is all-powerful and all-knowing, He includes us in His plans. He didn’t wind up the world and just leave it to run down like a clock and He didn’t wind us up like robots to motor through life without passions or wills. So somewhere in the mystery of God’s plans and actions He has a plan that will, for absolute certain, come to pass. He also has a series of desires for us that He choses to engage with us over, and those, somehow, depend to some degree on our involvement. While this point of theology could be debated, the verse for today’s devotional certainly points to the notion that God could very well be waiting on something or someone to bless us!
In the midst of those waiting seasons, if we could see the Lord leaning eagerly over our life waiting for the prime moment to reach in and bless, change, or anoint something in us or in our circumstances, I think it might go a long way to boosting our patience and faith…If we could only see the truth that He is waiting to reach in with love, joy, healing, and hope, it would change our waiting.
…We often can’t see what God is doing with all the trust we’ve invested in our relationship with Him. And when He is “late” it is all too easy to make assumptions about His character that are based on what we perceive in the moment, rather than what is actually happening. We don’t have all the pieces of the puzzle. We don’t have the whole picture. And when our lack of information or understanding is stirred up, that is the time to reconsider what we do know about our Lord.
Our Father is:
– Gracious and compassionate (Isaiah 30:18)
– The God who Sees our hurts and our needs (Genesis 16:13)
– The God of lovingkindness (Deuteronomy 7:9)
– Faithful when we are faithless (2 Timothy 2:13)
– Slow to anger, abundant in love, ready to forgive (Numbers 14:18)
– Near to the brokenhearted (Psalm 34:18)
– Our strong refuge (Psalm 71:7)
– With me (Psalm 23:4)
– The God who works wonders (Psalm 77:14)
– And so much more…We know these truths from Scripture, but we know them more deeply when they are known by experience. If you are having a hard time remembering God’s character because a hardship has clouded your vision of Him, spend some time looking over an old prayer journal or ask the Lord to remind you of His past faithfulness to you. Write it down when you remember it. Roll your thoughts in the remembrance of how God has revealed Himself to you. Really wallow in the remembrance of who He has been to you…
While the waiting can be lonely and hard work, remember Jesus words:
http://www.motlministries.org/2015/07/the-god-who-waits/
“My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working” (John 5:17, emphasis added). The Lord is up to something good and beautiful. Let’s wait together to see His character and handiwork revealed.
Prayers for Hope 