After months of anticipation, in October 1995, the “Concord” Air Jordan 11 released at retail to absolute pandemonium. I vividly remember scores of people lining up outside the mall at 5:30am just for the opportunity to purchase this pair of sneakers before they sold out (by 9:30 am). The retail sticker price with tax totaled $151.54 and for the avid ‘sneakerhead’ MJ fan it was definitely worth the weight in gold and time just to purchase a pair on the day they were released.
Let me be clear, back in the day I was the one selling the sneakers because if you know me then you know that I’m way too cheap aka frugile to spend that kind of money on a pair of sneakers. However, I wander how patient and/or excited we are when it comes to waiting on God to follow through on one or more of our prayer requests.
We live in a world where we want what we want when we want it. Some people refer to this as a “microwave society”. That said, it’s fair to say that waiting patiently on God can be difficult, but failing to wait upon the Lord can bring about disastrous consequences. First, when we do not wait, we get out of God’s will. Second, we delay God’s planned blessing for us. Because we move ahead of His steps, we get out of cycle and miss God’s blessings in His time. Third, we bring pain and suffering upon ourselves and others. Throughout Scripture, we can see the resulting pain people endured from getting outside of God’s will and doing things their own way. Fourth, we’re prone to making snap judgments that quite often turn out to cost us significantly in terms of finances, emotional energy, and relationships.
Additionally, when the Lord tells us to wait on His will, He always has a very clear reason, and that reason is without exception for our benefit. Waiting is essential in living the Christian life, walking in obedience to God, and receiving the best of His blessings. Psalm 27:14 says, “Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.”
Unfortunately in our lives, it’s very common to grow weary while waiting when we become confused as to who’s managing the clock – us or God? It never fails…when we think we’ve waited long enough, there’s more time on God’s clock. And just when we feel like giving up or throwing in the towel, suddenly the miracle appears. My brothers and sisters, God already knows this about us and He knows our very thoughts, our feelings, all of our desires and all of our needs – and when to deal with them. He knows we don’t like to wait, which is why He places lessons inside every circumstance to teach us something.
Though our experiences are different, we all face seasons of waiting at some point in our lives. If you’re walking through this struggle now, and you haven’t heard from God yet (or maybe you haven’t come to terms with His answer), I hope this message will bring you comfort, hope, strength, and peace. Our God is forever faithful and He has a plan for you, even if it feels like you’re stuck somewhere you didn’t want to be in the first place. Hold on to His word and “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer” (Romans 12:12).
No matter how long it takes…when God is at work, it’s worth the wait!
4GIVEN 