“I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry” (Psalm 40:1 NIV).
One of the most obvious evidences of faith is how you respond to the waiting rooms of life.
How long can you wait? That’s a mark of maturity. Children, of course, have a hard time waiting. They have not learned the difference between “No” and “Not yet.” If you tell them “Not yet,” they think that means it’s not going to happen. But as we get older, we learn that’s not the case.
Spiritual maturity is the ability to wait. Faith is waiting for the answer, understanding that sometimes the answer is delayed.
In God’s plan, timing is so crucial. Many times it may be the right thing, but it’s just the wrong time. You don’t want to get behind God, and you don’t want to get ahead of God. You want to be just in his time, because God’s timing is perfect in your job, in your marriage, in your education, in your retirement, in an answer to prayer—in every area of your life.
Look at Scripture and see how many times the Israelites had to wait on God. While they waited, God was preparing them. The children of Israel waited to be set free from slavery in Egypt for 400 years. That’s a long time in anybody’s book! Even when Moses came on the scene, the people had to wait another 80 years—40 years for him to grow up in Pharaoh’s palace and another 40 years for him to go to the backside of the desert to be trained. Moses came back at 80 years of age and finally led the people out of Egypt. God’s timing is perfect!
Psalm 40:1 says, “I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry” (NIV).
How you respond to the waiting rooms of life is evidence of your faith.
Talk It Over
When are you the most patient? When do you tend to be the least patient?
How do your answers to the previous question reveal where you place your trust?
How have you seen God grow your faith and character while you waited on his perfect timing?
Have you accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior?
The Bible says we all fall short of God’s perfect standard. Yet God still loves us—even though we sin and we’re flawed. In fact, God loves us so much that he sent his Son, Jesus, to cleanse us from our sins and to bring us into the family of God.
If you’ve never accepted God’s love and decided to follow Jesus, I want you to have that opportunity now. Start with this prayer:
“Dear God, I don’t understand it all, but I thank you that you love me. I thank you that you are for me and that you didn’t send Jesus to condemn me but to save me.
“I confess that I have sinned against you, and I admit I need Jesus as my Savior. I want a relationship with Jesus. I want to follow him and do the things he tells me to do.
“I ask you to save me from my past, my regrets, my mistakes, my sins, my habits, my hurts, and my hang-ups.
“I ask you to save me for your purpose. I want to know why you put me on this planet. And I want to fulfill what you made me to do. I want to learn to love you and trust you and be in your family forever. In your name I pray. Amen.”
If you just prayed that prayer, let me know by emailing me at Rick@PastorRick.com. I want to encourage you in your journey with Jesus and send you some free materials to help you take your first steps.
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This devotional © 2019 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
