Why the Wait?

Yet those who wait for the Lord Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary. - Isaiah 40:31 NASB

But those who wait for the Lord, they will inherit the land. - Psalms 37:9 NASB

This morning I was reading in a book I downloaded to my Kindle called "God's Gonna Make You Laugh: Understanding God's Timing for Your Life" by Noel Jones.  In it, the author pointed out something that I have never thought of in quite the same way before.  He suggests that when God's answer to us is "wait", there is an important reason for it - and that reason is NOT for us to just sit around twiddling our thumbs waiting for God to act!  It is to give us time to prepare to receive the blessing he intends for us, and usually means we have some serious work to do!  Hmmm . . . .

So often I have wished that there was a "quick fix" for the challenges in my life.  I KNOW God can work miracles.  I've seen Him do it from time to time.  Why doesn't He just step in and FIX my challenge NOW?  We live in a society that is really into quick fixes.  That's why, for example, those of us who carry extra weight on our bodies are bombarded with messages about this or that pill which will fix it - sometimes even going as far as to say "without exercising or changing the way you eat"!  And yet, I've seen the stories of people who, for example, have gastric bypass surgery, lose the weight, and then gain it back and then some. The same thing happens in the financial realm.  How often do we hear of the "quick fix" of winning the lottery leaving someone in worse financial shape in just a few short years than they were when they won all that money? If we focus only on the "quick fix" with no REAL change, the issue remains.

Do I really want a "quick fix" that doesn't last?  Or do I want the miracle of a permanent solution?  God really DOES know best!  But how often have I missed the point by not asking myself WHY answers to prayer are taking so long and exactly what God is saying my next step is.  If I KNOW, for example, that to live in a healthy way I need to eat a balanced diet and exercise regularly, why would I expect God to answer prayers for healing if I'm not yet willing to do so?  Or if I KNOW that budgeting is important for financial health, why would I expect God to suddenly gift me with an influx of money that He knows I'm not yet ready to handle?  God wants to HEAL me, in whatever area of life I need that healing.  Whether it's finances, relationships, health, employment, or whatever else, He doesn't want to just toss the counterfeit of a quick fix at me!  Thank you, God!

So, when I find something important seems to be taking way too long to come my way, or I'm feeling unhappy about all the things that are "going wrong" in my life, perhaps it's time to ask God, "Why the wait?  What is it that I need to be working on to prepare myself."  Jesus said,

And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive. - Matthew 21:22 NASU

I've heard spiritual teachers suggest that believing means "acting as if " we've received it until we do.  I'm thinking that while that is indeed the case, sometimes there's more to it.  If we are talking about health, for example, we need to appreciate the health we currently have by treating our bodies with the respect they deserve - feeding them only in healthy ways and exercising them in a way that best takes care of them, preparing ourselves to take care of the fully healthy bodies God will be gifting us with.  If we are talking about finances, we need to recognize and appreciate the resources we currently have, and make the best possible use of them, preparing ourselves to better handle increased wealth.  When a family is looking forward to the birth of a new baby, for example, there are things to DO during those 9 months of waiting!  The best parents-to-be take those nine months to educate themselves about how to care for an infant, prepare the home for its arrival (child proofing, setting up the nursery, getting necessary supplies), sort out the best caregiving options (including emergency backup), etc. 

What if, when I ask God for a gift, I look forward to it with the same sort of excitement and anticipation a pregnant couple has when they have been longing for a child?  What if I do the work to ensure that the gift God has promised (and that verse in Matthew certainly IS an amazing promise!), will be appreciated and made use of in the best possible way - that I am READY to receive it?  How would my life change?

Father, thank you for your amazing promises to me.  And thank you for understanding that spoiling me with gifts that I am not ready to handle is really not a gift at all.  Thank you for caring enough about me to encourage me to do the necessary work of preparation so that your gifts will bring about the permanent changes that will bring me all the joy you want me to experience in my life!  I love you, Father!