But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary, and they shall walk and not faint. – Isaiah 40:31
Patience is listed as one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit. This implies that on our own, we may not fully embrace this virtue. It is a virtue that when fully integrated into someone’s life can lead them to have a better relationship with God. Our prayers and requests to God may take long to be answered in our human eyes. However, we should always thrive to put our hope on Christ our solid rock against which we can never sink.
Waiting on the Lord has always been part of humanity. Generations upon generation have had experiences in which they had to wait on the Lord to deliver them. Some from captivity, difficult moments, or even from sin itself. Today, we have a look at some examples where those that were patient and kept seeking God had a good ending.
Joshua 2 describes a woman known as Rahab who hid two spies from Israel in her house because she had heard of the great things the God of Israel had done. She acknowledged that the God of Israel is supreme in heaven and on earth. When the siege of Jericho happened, Joshua sent the two spies who had been hidden by Rahab to rescue her. She was saved together with her household (Joshua 6:22-23). Rahab probably waited for days, hiding in her house waiting to be rescued. She did not when the siege was to happen. But in the end, when the right time came, she and her family were saved.
In Psalms 73, we meet a man named Asaph, who was a chief musician serving in the temple of God. He is faced with moments where it seems that the wicked are prospering. He is envious that they are not afflicted troubled like other people. In the end, however, he understands that the wicked will pay for oppressing others and for every wicked thing they did. The psalm finishes with the conclusion that it is good to draw near to God, to have your trust in Him, and declare all His works.
When Peter is arrested by Herod, he’s kept in a prison-bound on both hands as he awaits his execution just as the other disciple James had been killed by King Herod. While in prison, the church kept praying for him without ceasing (Acts 12:5). A night before his execution, God sent an angel who freed him and led him safely out of the prison to join his other brethren. This is a reminder that the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous person availeth much (James 5:16).
The Christian journey is faced with many trials and tribulations. Often times at our lowest moments we may feel that God has forgotten about us. The book of Proverbs reminds us that the righteous may fall seven times, but they will rise again. Let us daily seek God’s presence in our life; to guide and direct our paths. Let us wait on the Lord. He will never leave us, just hold on.
You may be down and feel that God has forgotten that you are faced with circumstances that you can get through. You may not know how you may not know when you may not know where, but He’ll do it again. – Shirley Caesar
