wait

Waiting is the bane of my existence.  If there are two lines at the movie theater, the one I choose will grind to a halt while the other glides by.  Don't get behind me at a toll booth; the driver in front of me will be searching his seat cushions for quarters while the other lines whiz through. Bank tellers go on break when I get near the front of their line; supermarket checkout computers go on strike when I draw near.

Someone said that life is what happens to you while you're making other plans.  Slowly I'm learning that there is redemption in every moment, as God uses each minute for his glory and our good.  It's hard to think of a biblical hero who didn't take a detour on the way to his or her destination...

Noah spent 100 years building his ark before the rains finally came; Abraham and Sarah waited 25 years for Isaac; Joseph journeyed through Potiphar's prison on the way to Pharaoh's palace.

Moses spent decades running from Pharaoh before the Lord sent him back to free his people.  God told David he would be king long before Saul gave up the throne.  John had to go to Patmos to meet his glorified Friend and Lord.

Are you waiting on God this morning?

Perhaps you're praying without seeing answers, or waiting on a job that hasn't come or health the Lord has not restored.  You need direction or provision from God, but he doesn't seem to be working on your timeline.  One of the most frustrating reminders in Scripture is this statement from God: "My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways.  As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts" (Isaiah 55:8-9).

God redeems all he allows.  If you're waiting on him this morning, there's a reason.  He wants to use this delay to draw you closer to him, or prepare you for what comes next, or help you trust him in hard times.  Remember that your Father never makes a mistake.  His will is "good, pleasing and perfect"  (Romans 12:2).  His timing is always right.

-Dr. James C. Denison