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Why Are We Told To Wait For God?
Contributed by Chris Swanson on Jan 11, 2023 (message contributor)
Summary: Waiting for something to happen is hard to do. But there is a purpose for waiting. Can Christians learn to wait without having a negative attitude?
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Have you actually taken the time to notice how many fast-paced things are in our society now? You can stroll through any grocery store or convenient store and see all the ‘instant’ items that are for sale. There is instant coffee, instant tea, soup, grits, oatmeal, potatoes, milk, instant internet access, fast-food restaurants, frozen meals; the list is endless, and it appears as if it is continually growing. We get so impatient at a traffic light, being behind someone driving too slowly, or waiting in the checkout line at a store. Just look at people’s facial expressions. We want things done now, quicker, faster; we do not want to have to wait for anything. That is what is classified as being impatient. We have let being impatient rule in every aspect of our lives.
Have you ever noticed that God does not always move instantly? What? Why not? How do we fix this? We do not have the option nor the capability to fix it. We must wait upon the Lord.
When Adam walked with God in the garden, did he perform a fast-paced walk? Did Adam go for a jog? Did he get ahead of God? I think not and neither should we. We should not try to get ahead of the Lord, but we are not to sit and do nothing. While we are waiting for God to move or to act, we are to serve, we are to pray, we are to minister unto others.
Our Scripture today tells us that David called unto God, he waited, and God answered. Trusting that God will help us is not simple, however David received four blessings from his waiting: God lifted him out of the gloom, God set his feet on firm ground, God set up his goings (kept him steady as he walked), and God gave him another song. There are times when gifts and blessings cannot be obtained except if we go through the preliminary trial of waiting.
Christians are admonished in the New Testament to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Jesus revealed to the disciples a story showing how they ought to consistently pray and not lose heart. This anecdote included a widow who kept going to a judge to request restitution against her foe. The judge was neither genuine nor mindful, however he became burnt out on the widow's constant requesting for justice, so he conceded to her solicitation.
• Luke 18:1-7, And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?
• Psalm 27:14, Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.
• Psalm 34:15, The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.
The Bible does not record any strict occasions in David's day to day existence, for example, being caught in a pit. This is just poetry depicting how profoundly frantic was David's predicament. David's warlike life was brimming with brushes with death, some of which was miserable to such an extent that they resembled being in a rubbish pit or a foul bog. We can almost envision being deserted in a huge opening in the ground that was loading up with water, mud, and ooze. In such a dilemma it is difficult to obtain traction, however the Lord came to down to David, addressed his weep for help, and pulled him to security. David says the Lord set his feet on a stone and made his means secure. The symbolism demonstrates that the Lord protected David from his foes and gave security to him.
• Psalm 27:5, For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.
• Psalm 69:1-2, Save me, O God; for the waters are come in unto my soul. I sink in deep mire, where there is no standing: I am come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me.
Do we ever feel like we are in deep despair?
David was so euphoric and appreciative about God's redemption of him from his adversaries that he lifted his voice in a melody of praise to the Lord. He imparted this recognition to his comrades with the goal that they would love the Lord and have faith and trust in Him. This veneration or reverence is the importance of the expression fear in sections like this. He was being a witness by telling them what God had done for him.
When God rescues sinners from sin, He pulls them out of a miry pit (Psalm 40:2). The people who cry to the Lord for salvation and accept Jesus as their Savior are safeguarded. God gives them a new life (Ephesians 2:4-10; 1 John 3:14). Second Corinthians 5:17 proclaims that any individual who is in Christ is a new creation. The Lord not only saves them from the pit of wrongdoing yet additionally sets up their walk and provides them guidance through life. Saul of Tarsus discovered absolution and a new life in Christ (Acts 9). He affirmed in 1 Timothy 1:15-16 that Christ Jesus came down to earth to save sinners, of whom he said he was the premier. He obtained mercy for Christ to use him as an example of patience to other believers.