December 4
Happy Thursday! Most of us think that as we wait on God we're just wasting time until then. But what if the waiting itself is doing something in us?
Reminder: The Bible, Simplified is the perfect Christmas gift this year. Click here to learn more and buy a copy.
Three Thoughts
Waiting teaches us to hope for things we can't see yet. Real faith and hope is found when we trust God even though the timeline doesn't make sense to us. Patience is active trust in Him.
ROMANS 8:24
A cool thing about doing life with God is that we don't have to wait alone. He asks us to wait with Him. So when we're stuck in the in-between, He says that's where our strength and courage are built. Then we are able to wait with expectation instead of boredom.
PSALM 27:14
Our waiting actually renews our strength. God is doing something in the stillness that we'll need for what's ahead. Trust the process. The wait is preparing us for the answer.
ISAIAH 40:31
Two Quotes
Missionary and author Elisabeth Elliot on waiting on God:
"Waiting on God requires the willingness to bear uncertainty, to carry within oneself the unanswered question, lifting the heart to God about it whenever it intrudes upon one's thoughts."
Pastor and author A.W. Tozer on God's timeline:
"God never hurries. There are no deadlines against which He must work. Only to know this is to quiet our spirits and relax our nerves."
Prayer
Dear God, I'm tired of waiting. I want the answers now, but You're asking me to trust Your timing. Teach me to see this season not as wasted time, but as preparation for whatever you are doing behind the scenes. Give me the strength to hope for what I cannot see and the courage to believe You're working even when I can't feel it. In Jesus' name, amen.
Question
What's the one thing you're waiting for that feels like it's taking too long?
See you next Thursday,
Zach
P.S. We put up our Christmas tree on November 1st this year and I feel like we completely skipped Fall. Anybody else?
My wife's cousin is a MASTER tree decorator (not me lol)