“For the vision is yet for an appointed time; but at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.” Habakkuk 2:3 (NKJV)
We’d bet that you have heard the saying, “Good things come to those who wait.” Prior to many of the inventions we use today, we all were pretty good at waiting; however, today, many of us lack patience because we can get access to so many things so quickly.
But guess what?
Our God does not work like that. He is not some “genie in a bottle” ready to move on our behalf just because we believe we are ready for what we are asking for. Being good stewards over the blessings God entrust us with requires us to be developed. Development is a process — a process that can not be rushed.
Take, for instance, when a women becomes pregnant; she must wait nine months to meet her bundle of joy. While in the womb, the baby is developing into a human being, and that is a process that requires time; in addition to the development of the child, this process requires mom to provide nourishment to aid in his development. Now, let’s look at this from a Godly perspective …
The development:
To be developed means to grow or cause to grow and become more mature, advanced, or elaborate. “When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things” (1 Corinthians 13:11).
When we are being developed by God for all the good things that will come into our life, we must learn to keep our eyes on Him and His purpose for our life. How we respond to our process of development plays a key role in how long or how quickly we reach our divine destiny.
The easy way out is to give up when life’s challenges are too hard or, from our perspective, pointless.
But, if we can learn to keep our eyes on God, He can and will use our trials for our good and His glory. As Romans 8:28 reads, “And we know that all things work together for the good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”
When reading this scripture to encourage yourself during your development, please do not miss the whole meaning of this verse. The promise is to people who love God and are called according to His purpose.
Are you living your life according to God’s purpose or your own? Have you fully surrendered to the truth of God’s purpose for your life? If you’re able to honestly respond “yes,” you will surely be able to see more quickly and clearly all the ways in which God truly is on your side! When you are fully committed to God and His will for your life, He promises to use everything — both the good and the bad — to work together to fulfill His divine purpose.
Waiting on God:
Believe it or not, something is actually happening while we are waiting. God uses waiting to change us!
Yes, during the process of waiting, we are being changed, we are being prepared for the very thing we are believing God for. The change may not necessarily be apparent, but trust God.
Other times the change can take place in the situation, or other people. However, we get discouraged in our waiting and we attempt to take matters into our own hands; when we do this, we are telling God that we do not trust Him.
We take this approach more often than not, and this goes against God’s plan for us. It also creates distance in our relationship with Him, and it brings about unnecessary pain and trouble. “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?” (Mark 8:38)
The most powerful tool God uses to set us free is silence.
While we are waiting on God, we will experience silence. We are set free in this because we learn to die to our demanding selves daily. When we choose to allow God to be God, by His grace we can wait as he instructed us, without trying to be in control.
Let me encourage you to pray for God to work in you two things: humility (our life is not our own) and trust (God is all knowing, powerful and loving). Some of the greatest figures in the Bible —Abraham, Joseph, Moses, David — had to wait on and trust in God for many years for their promises. Everything they endured during their waiting period was used to prepare them, both inwardly and outwardly. When they reached their promise, they were blessed beyond measure.
Prayer: Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Help us to trust that you are the great developer and that waiting for you is the best option for us. Help us to give you total control so that we can carry out the purpose you have for us. Help us to develop into the servants you have called us to be, that we may glorify and honor you in all our ways.
