Psalms 27:14 tells us to “Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.” Waiting on the Lord takes courage, restraint, patience, and most of all, trust! This verse tells me that He will strengthen my heart to trust Him even more when I take courage, practice restraint, and determine to be patient. He is faithful. Paul gives us instructions on how to handle requests of God with a humble attitude. “Don't worry about anything, instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank Him for all He has done.”(Philippians 4:6 NLT)
I often want to see the answer to my prayer right now, but sometimes God’s good answer is “not yet.” And sometimes it is “No, that would not be good for you.” This is when I have to determine within myself that God's wisdom and His timing is most important to me. He is always true, trustworthy, and on time. When I bring a concern or request to God, I first must examine myself to see if there is anything in my heart, mind, or attitude that needs changing so I can get out of His way to work in my life. Am I seeking His Kingdom first, or my wants and desires first.
I know He loves us deeply, and wants to give us the desires of our heart, but always is faithfully looking out for our good. Psalm 37:34 says to “Wait on the Lord and keep His way...” He is always true, trustworthy, and on time. Both Matthew 6:33 and Luke 12:31 say that if we seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness then He will see to our needs both spiritually and physically, and Jesus goes on to say in Luke 12:32, “Fear not, little flock, for it is the Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom,” which is righteous, peace, and joy beyond belief! Looking back at Philippians 4:7, Paul says, “Then (after following vs 6) you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” (NLT)
Perhaps you’re praying for something that has not happened yet and maybe even see no hope of it ever becoming a reality. I know how incredibly hard it can be to be in a place of wondering and waiting. But even when we don’t understand, we must trust God’s timing is perfect. He has a plan, and He knows our situations better than we do. If it is in His will for you, He will bring it about. And if it is not, then He is protecting you when he says "No". Always pray for His will to be done, as Jesus did in the Garden, for God's will is perfect for you. Then just give it to Him and let Him handle it. Therein lies peace, righteousness, and joy.
“And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” (Philippians 4:8 NLT) We definitely need this advice today!
Keep holding on. God isn’t done with your story.
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