Waiting

Waiting for the answer to our prayers is possibly the most difficult part of praying, and it is often the area in which we are most tested.

We’ve already looked at Daniel’s prayer and how he waited 21 days for the angel to arrive with the answer. And we saw that the angel told Daniel that his prayer had been heard and responded to immediately, but nevertheless, Daniel knew nothing about the immediacy of the response until the angel showed up in front of him. However, being the man of God that we know Daniel was (from the comments the angel made to Daniel), it can certainly be understood that Daniel, when he asked, believed the answer was his, a blessing from God, even before it showed up on his doorstep. That would be the faith part of prayer; and the patient waiting for manifestation of the answer would be the action response to that faith.

If we have a difficult time believing that we will receive what we ask for, then we will have an even more difficult time waiting for the answer to show itself to us.

Perhaps that is because we are in a “gotta have it now” culture. Perhaps that is also why so many of our prayers are not answered. If we can’t get it now, then just never mind! We’ll go somewhere else to get it! Even if we have to get it for ourselves, with no help from God whatsoever. We ask God for His help, and when it doesn't come within the time frame we have decided upon, we forget about God and go do something about the problem ourselves! After all, God helps those who help themselves, right? So if we want an answer we better go out and do something about the problem, THEN maybe He'll help!

That is not at all scriptural. In fact, it is the opposite of scriptures that tell us we are nothing, and can do nothing, without God! We are to ask, believe that we have the answer already, and then wait on God to manifest or show us that answer. Rushing ahead of the answer on our own only leads to more serious problems. Our lives become more and more complicated, according to our level of impatience.

That kind of happened to Abraham, didn’t it? At Sarah’s urging, Abraham took Hagar as a second wife. And, we, of course, know the rest of that story…even better than Abraham did at the time, since we have all of recorded history to show us the results of that impatient action! We know that through Ishmael, Abraham also became known as the father of many nations of Islamists. And just as there was conflict between the God-promised son (Isaac) and the carnal son (Ishmael), so today the conflict still rages between the spiritual seed of Abraham (Christians) and the carnal seed of Abraham (Islamists).

But just in case that isn’t enough to convince us of the importance of waiting on God, let’s take a look at this scripture:

Isaiah 30:18 “And therefore will the LORD wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the LORD [is] a God of judgment: blessed [are] all they that wait for him.”

God’s Word is telling us that there are blessings in store for those who wait on Him, rather than running on ahead. It says that God Himself is waiting as well. He's waiting on (or withholding) judgment. He is being more than gracious to us who are impatient, who go our own way, leaving God in our dust. It's in His waiting, in His patience with us, that He is exalted. For even though He will judge, He is giving us time to repent, more and more time to repent, until finally the day comes when He must judge. But if we will just wait on Him, rather than running about doing our own thing, we will be blessed!

If we take this scripture and apply it to the second coming of Christ for which many are praying for and asking for daily, we see that it is because the Lord is merciful that He has not answered our prayers for His soon return. Even John prayed (at the end of Revelation) “Even so, Lord Jesus, come!” He was as anxious to see the Lord return and put an end to all the evil on this earth as we are.

But because the Lord is merciful, because He desires to be gracious to us, because he wants to bless us, and because His opportunities of mercy and grace towards us speaks so clearly to unbelievers of who He is (exalts Him)….He sometimes waits. But we who wait for Him are promised blessings in return for our patience in waiting.

An example of a blessing that came from waiting is Lazarus, the friend of Jesus.

Jesus could have run to Lazarus at the first sign of his ill health, healed him of the sickness, and Lazarus would never have died. But in order to glorify God, in order to strengthen our faith, it was necessary for Jesus to wait. Even though Jesus was apparently saddened by the fact of his friend’s death, still He was obedient to the Father, who knew what He was doing. So, he waited a couple of days rather than running off to "fix" the situation or to "prevent" an even worse thing happening. But because He waited, the worse thing did happen, just as Mary and Martha feared would happen. Lazarus died. If He had only come sooner (if God had only answered us sooner!) But we all know that Jesus then proceeded to raise him up to life. A miracle that was possible only by God! How greatly did that act strengthen the faith of His followers then, especially Martha, Mary, and Lazarus. How greatly does it strengthen the faith of His followers now? How many people became believers that day? How much more good did the "wait" do for so many more?

Then there is the example of Joshua at Jericho. The city of Jericho was buttoned up tight as could be, no one going out of the walled city and no one coming into it, for fear of the Israelites. The Israelites received their marching orders from God directly through Joshua, and silently (except for the blasting of trumpets) marched around the city once a day for six days. Then, on the seventh day, and according to the Lord’s instructions, they encompassed the city seven times instead of just one time as had been done on previous days. And when the priests had made the last long blast of the trumpets, that was the cue for the Israelites to belt out with a loud shout, which immediately caused the city walls to fall down, giving the Israelites entry into the city. Only the harlot Rahab and her family and kinsmen were saved from Jericho that day, as she had helped and hidden the Israelite spies who had formerly scouted the city. [Do you see the analogy of Jesus’ return in the story of Jericho? It is not a parable, it really happened, yet it is amazing how often God’s Word is relevant to yesterday, today AND tomorrow!]

Jericho is an excellent example of waiting on God. What would have happened if Joshua and the Israelites had been impatient and anxious to get things over and done rather than wait on God? After all, God had told them they would be victorious, why wait til later (the 7th day) to do what can be done now (the 1st day)? That way they could get home sooner! And all this foolishness about parading around the city every day, well, that's just......foolishness!

What would have happened is they would have failed, bringing disgrace to themselves and to their God. All the folks of Jericho needed was to witness such a stumble from Israel, and their fear would have disappeared in a flash, as it would have meant that the Israelites’ God was no longer with them. It was the Israelite God that they feared...with good reason.

Isaiah 64:4 “For from days of old they have not heard or perceived by ear, Nor has the eye seen a God besides You, Who acts in behalf of the one who waits for Him.” (NASB)

The slaughter that took place in Jericho would have been turned onto the Israelites themselves as they hurried impatiently to their own deaths by not waiting on God!

Whether it is Israel waiting for God at Jericho, or Martha and Mary waiting for Jesus at Bethany, how many innumerable examples are given to us in scripture for our edification in learning the value of waiting on God?

Our first step in prayer is to be praying “IN the name of Jesus”, meaning in agreement with what Jesus wills. Second step is to believe we have received the answer by faith. And finally, then, we must stand and wait. We must not be discouraged by delays or even by what appears to be a “No”. We must stand fast in spite of all circumstances, until the Lord says to us “Great is thy faith, be it unto you even as you wilt.”

Our ability to be patient while waiting on the small answers to prayer, rather than running out to get the answer in some other way other than God, tests us and proves us in preparation of receiving bigger answers to bigger prayers. Every waited-for-answer-to-prayer is one step closer to the bigger things of God. His Word tells us that when we are faithful in small things, He can begin to trust us with big things.

In all things, even in waiting, the Lord is good to us. His eyes and ears open to us.

Lamentations 3:25 “The LORD [is] good unto them that wait for him, to the soul [that] seeketh him.”

Micah 7:7 “Therefore I will look unto the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me.”

What blessings laid in store for the disciples gathered together in Jerusalem as they waited for the promise of the Father?

Act 1:4 “And, being assembled together with [them], commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, [saith he], ye have heard of me.”

What blessings lie in store for us as we wait for the soon return of Jesus Christ, yet knowing that the longer He tarries the greater the hope of seeing more and more people turn to Jesus for salvation?

Luke 12:36 “And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately.”

Proverbs 8:34 “Blessed [is] the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors.”

Romans 8:23 “And not only [they], but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, [to wit], the redemption of our body.”

In prayer, and in all things may the Lord:

2Thessalonians 3:5 “...direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ.”