Waiting with God
“Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you. Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me.” – Isaiah 49:15-16
“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life” – John 3:36
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” – 1 John 1:9
“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” – Romans 8:1
“…for he has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you."’ – Hebrews 13:5
“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life” – John 3:36
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” – 1 John 1:9
“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” – Romans 8:1
“…for he has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you."’ – Hebrews 13:5
by Josh Perry
All of those promises are true statements from God saying to you and me: “Believe me when I say, this is who I am. This is what I am doing.”
But did you notice what’s true about each of those promises? They are not only describing our present positional reality as Christians, but they are also promises about what is true experience in our futures. These are promises that give us hope in times of waiting for what is not yet.
Let’s read one more. It is from that famous sufferer Job. In confusion and disorientation about God’s presence and plan he cries out, “Behold, I go forward, but he is not there, and backward, but I do not perceive him, on the left hand when he is working, I do not behold Him; he turns to the right hand, but I do not see him” (Job 23:8-9).
But by faith in the promise of God’s presence and plan, Job affirms, “But he knows the way that I take; when he has tried me, I shall come out as gold” (Job 23:10). What God sees we can’t see. All that God’s doing we don’t know, because we don’t know His ways, but He knows our ways; and He promises the result will be a gold like existence and experience. That we will become a certain type of person. A godly person. You’ll be a valuable, deep, in demand kind of person, and God determines how that happens in each of our lives. The promise is that God, without telling us when, or where, or why, or even how is unwaveringly committed to us. Yes, pain is painful. Adversity is adverse. Difficulty is difficult. But not for pain or adversity’s sake. He’s doing it for gold sake. For His sake. For our sake.
Let me encourage us with two things:
First, during the waiting period, trust God and don’t panic. While we may associate Job with suffering, it’s his model of patience that the Bible points us too. James 5:11 says, “you have heard of the patience of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.” Let God deal with people, the circumstances, the suffering, and the gold like results. Who else do you know who was treated unfairly and patiently endured suffering, only to be raised to glory? That’s right. Jesus. The Father himself patiently endured the suffering of sin waiting thousands of years before he sent Jesus to accomplish our salvation. Galatians 4:4 says that “when the fullness of time came God sent his Son.” God’s good with time. Let’s trust Him and not panic.
Second, when the results come, thank God and don’t brag. Humbly and gratefully step into the benefits that God gives. Quietly become a man or woman of God who holds all gifts loosely pointing people to the power and greatness of the one who loves us and will never leave us.
All of those promises are true statements from God saying to you and me: “Believe me when I say, this is who I am. This is what I am doing.”
But did you notice what’s true about each of those promises? They are not only describing our present positional reality as Christians, but they are also promises about what is true experience in our futures. These are promises that give us hope in times of waiting for what is not yet.
Let’s read one more. It is from that famous sufferer Job. In confusion and disorientation about God’s presence and plan he cries out, “Behold, I go forward, but he is not there, and backward, but I do not perceive him, on the left hand when he is working, I do not behold Him; he turns to the right hand, but I do not see him” (Job 23:8-9).
But by faith in the promise of God’s presence and plan, Job affirms, “But he knows the way that I take; when he has tried me, I shall come out as gold” (Job 23:10). What God sees we can’t see. All that God’s doing we don’t know, because we don’t know His ways, but He knows our ways; and He promises the result will be a gold like existence and experience. That we will become a certain type of person. A godly person. You’ll be a valuable, deep, in demand kind of person, and God determines how that happens in each of our lives. The promise is that God, without telling us when, or where, or why, or even how is unwaveringly committed to us. Yes, pain is painful. Adversity is adverse. Difficulty is difficult. But not for pain or adversity’s sake. He’s doing it for gold sake. For His sake. For our sake.
Let me encourage us with two things:
First, during the waiting period, trust God and don’t panic. While we may associate Job with suffering, it’s his model of patience that the Bible points us too. James 5:11 says, “you have heard of the patience of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.” Let God deal with people, the circumstances, the suffering, and the gold like results. Who else do you know who was treated unfairly and patiently endured suffering, only to be raised to glory? That’s right. Jesus. The Father himself patiently endured the suffering of sin waiting thousands of years before he sent Jesus to accomplish our salvation. Galatians 4:4 says that “when the fullness of time came God sent his Son.” God’s good with time. Let’s trust Him and not panic.
Second, when the results come, thank God and don’t brag. Humbly and gratefully step into the benefits that God gives. Quietly become a man or woman of God who holds all gifts loosely pointing people to the power and greatness of the one who loves us and will never leave us.
