[ecko_quote source="Philippians 1:6"]And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.[/ecko_quote]
Were you ever frustrated, impatient, or even angry for waiting in the line for too long? Do you hate getting stuck in the traffic? Do you like everything about a pot roast except the time it takes to cook it? I am sure most of you have answered 'yes' to all those questions. I can say that with assurance because I mostly feel the same way too. It's in us. Or as some say, it's in our DNA. I would say, yes and no, but discussing that any further might lead us away from what I want to focus on. You see many of us feel this way about the things taking place in our lives sometimes. Right now, you might be feeling like everything is on a stand still. It's like the world has stopped moving and it's in those moments in life where our level of frustration is at its highest peak.
Ever heard of that saying, "Good things take time!". If you have, it's true! We see that in the Bible. It took Israelites 40 years to get to God's promised land. This 'waiting' can be seen in almost every Bible character. Jacob waited seven years to get Rachel (Genesis 29:20). Saul had to wait seven days for the appointed time set by Samuel (1 Samuel 13:8-14). David had to wait around fifteen years despite being anointed as the king of Israel (2 Samuel 2:1-5:5). Forget all that, Jesus Christ, our Saviour himself had to wait thirty years to start His earthly ministry (Luke 3:23).
So what's taking so long? Why do we need to wait? I believe God does something beautiful when we waiting. Let's get the most obvious out of the way. We all know that waiting on God gives us renewed strength (Isaiah 40:31). But it also does some other important things alongside that. God put us in this 'waiting' period to see our true motive; what's truly in our hearts. Waiting builds patience in our lives. It builds anticipation; It's like little children waiting eagerly to unwrap their Christmas presents. When they finally unwrap it, they are cherished. They feel it was worth the wait. Waiting transforms our character; It chips off those rough edges from our lives. Think of it as a rock being carved into something beautiful. It has to go through tough times to lose those extra bits but in the end, it gets all the praise for its beauty. Most of all, waiting to build our intimacy and dependence on God.
Ever sang this song as a kid? "He's still working on me. To make me what, I ought to be. It took him just a week to make the moon and stars. The sun and the earth and Jupiter and Mars. How loving and patient He must be 'Cause He's still working on me" (See Full Lyrics). It's still applicable to us.
Dear Brothers and Sisters, let God work in your life. Wait patiently. Learn what he has to teach and trust Him. Because in the end, you will be more beautiful than ever.
Image Source:
[https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/02/Maori_carving.jpg]
