Wisdom in Waiting

George Washington Carver says, “There is no short cut to achievement. Life requires thorough preparation - veneer isn't worth anything”.  David was ordained to be the next king of Israel, but before he was to ascend to the throne, he had to bide his time.  David had a long period of transition in his life.  He was waiting on God’s plan to be fulfilled.  One of the most beloved Psalms of David is Psalm 27.  It is in this Psalm in which you find a verse so fitting.  It is verse 14:  “Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD“.  His time had not yet come nor would it come until the reign of Saul was to end.  Until then, David waited.  We are waiting ever so anxiously for God’s promise to be fulfilled or his plan for our lives to come to fruition.  Days and weeks, sometimes month and years will pass before we can ever see the light of His promise.  Where is the wisdom in waiting?  We strive to trust in His omnipotent and His omniscience and rely upon His majesty and His power.  We spend much in prayer claiming His promises for our lives and seeking guidance in His will.  As each day passes, we feel that our prayer has yet to be answered or His promises have yet to be fulfilled.  Has he forgotten us?  Is He ignoring us?  Those are sometimes the questions that we dwell upon in the moments of our human weaknesses.  Have you ever considered that now is not yet time?  In all the moments that David was waiting on God’s promise and plan for Him were to be fulfilled, David was being prepared.  When we are striving to achieve His next phase for our life or clinging to His next promise to be fulfilled, God is taking this time to prepare us.  A dear friend of mine made this comment: “Need to find the needle in the haystack?  Burn the haystack.”  The comment was made in humor, but more often than not, it is how we feel in life.  We tend to live in a microwave society.  We want everything instantly.  Even today, a home-cooked meal is more flavorful and more filling than one microwaved from a frozen state.  When one makes a meal, the melding of ingredients and flavors can be improved with each step until the final prepared product is ready to be cooked.  Whereas, in a microwaveable meal, more often than not, you are relying upon the flavor enhancement of the manufacturer which is often diminished or weaken in the frozen state.  By the time the meal has been cooked, any attempt to enhance the flavor will be too late or too weak.  The preparation of that home-cooked meal is what makes that meal all the more special.  In Christian life, the preparation during our phases of waiting ensures that we are ready for the next phase of His plan or promise.  David during his transitional phase, while waiting on God’s plan was being prepared as the next king of Israel.  His waiting was not in vain.  God has not forgotten His promises to us; even to this day He still keeps His promises.  Is that not the lesson of the ants in Proverbs 30:25?  What they lacked in physical strength, they made up for in preparing themselves for the winter ahead.  Our strength is not able to get us to where we need to go, but our strength comes in trusting in God and allowing Him to prepare us for what is ahead.  God is not ignoring our anxious pleas; He still rejoices at every word that we pour out at His throne as we lift our voices to Him.  God is still at work in us.  We are an unfinished work.  Before we can reach the next phase, we must allow Him to prepare us in this phase.  It does get emotionally and mentally difficult to wait doesn’t it? Yet, the rewards of waiting far outweighs anything else life could ever possibly offer us.  Want to know something amazing?  As a whole, our life, our entire Christian life is but a preparation for the eternal life that is to come.  The things we are waiting on, it has not happened because God is still preparing us.  Let him work in you something greater and then when the time comes, the windows of Heaven will be thrown wide open and the wonderful and merciful showers of blessings will fall upon us and give us the needed refreshment and renewal for the journey ahead.