Waiting on God
"God does not change our circumstances, because He wants to change our hearts.”
I recently saw the above quote. Because He loves us, He is always in the business of growing us in the midst of our waiting periods. Its good to pause and let that soak in, but we must be careful. Feeling stuck in an uncomfortable spot isn't always because our heart has not yet changed. It isn't always karma--that we're doing something wrong, and that as soon as we “do better” or “figure out a lesson”, God will then reward us with better circumstances. He is sovereign in the waiting. We should prayerfully be open for His Spirit to do heart surgery., Sometimes the difficulties He calls us to, is to change us and grow us, yes; but also, through these things, He shows us more of His faithfulness.
When we feel stuck, when we are waiting and its always encouraging to look at God's Word.
There are so many we could look at in His Word, but I will only touch on a couple. First, Abraham. Did you know that he waited 25 years for Isaac AFTER God had promised him? Think about how many months that went by when Sarah and Abraham must have wondered if this would be the fertile month. That’s a total of 300 months. Yet, what did Abraham do? He never doubted that God would fulfill His promises. Certainly He tried to help God along the way, assuming maybe God meant to provide in slightly different ways, and while these unwise choices were not without consequences, God continued to bless, growing Abraham’s faith by showing His ever faithfulness in the midst of the waiting. God’s ways are not our ways, so even when it doesn’t make sense or we would do things differently, we trust in His goodness and Godship that He knows best — always!
We all know the shepherd boy, giant-slayer, King — David, right? Is it any surprise really that we love the Psalms? David knew heartache, knew waiting, triumph, and trials, and most of all He knew His God. He had to wait to be King while also waiting for justice for his enemies, one of which was King Saul, who we know was trying to kill him. While David was forced to feed himself by scavenging honey in the wild and with bread from the temple reserved for offerings, and sleep in caves, Saul was feasting on fine foods and fine wines brought to him by servants with the comforts of the palace all around him. David knew that God was Sovereign, trusted that God had a plan for Him — even knowing some of what that plan was — King of Israel, yet waiting, crying out for justice, frustrated, heartbroken at times, yet surrendered each time to what he knew and continued to learn– His God — His character of love, justice, faithfulness, his Rock his Shepherd.
Waiting, while not fun, is fertile ground for growth of faith. trusting that God is not only in that next door we so desperately want opened, but He is in the now. He is in the waiting, in the disappointments, and even in the shattered dreams. Gods plan does not start after we get past or over these things, rather His plans are always strategic and includes the present. What does James say? Count it all joy, my brothers (and sisters) when you encounter various trials, because the testing of your faith produces endurance. So, let endurance have its perfect result so that you may be perfect and complete lacking nothing in Christ, but when you lack wisdom, ask God who gives to all men (and women) generously, but ask in faith without doubting, because the one who doubts is driven and tossed by the wind.
Yes, God does not change our circumstances, because many times, He wants to change our hearts, and in this process, I think most of all He wants to show more of Himself. Wants us to learn to trust Him more, to see Him true to His character in the waiting. We are not here for our comfort or happiness; rather we are here for His glory, for our growth and the encouragement of those around us. We can rejoice in a God who never changes, He is our loving Savior, full of grace that is always sufficient. He grants the believer joy in Him, our salvation – that gives us strength, hope for today and tomorrow, and redemption of our past sins and past mistakes and the mistakes and sin He already knows we will make.
Let us comfort each other with these truths as I’m sure each of us have struggles, hopes that seem hopeless and seasons of sadness or waiting, or decisions to make that God seems silent on. All of these things at times may be exhausting and seem unbearable. May we be comforted with His Truth today!
