Waiting Patiently in Hope
24 For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? 25 But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.
Romans 8:24-25 (NIV)
Waiting is sometimes the hardest thing to do. There is waiting in line at the grocery store, waiting at the doctor’s office to be seen, or even waiting for our children to get grown and get out. LOL! Waiting on things to happen can sometimes seem like it is taking forever. We continue to wait because we know that eventually we’ll make it through the line at the store, we’ll be seen at the doctor’s, and soon the children will be 18 and headed into their next journey of life. So why do we continually ask the Lord, “How much longer? Did you not hear my prayer?” Why does he not receive the same patience when it comes to things? Just like we wait patiently on other things, we have to wait patiently for the manifestation of the blessings. It is in his timing not ours.
As I was studying, God brought me to the verses above. Please read the full chapter if you have time. I will stray a little from the context of this chapter for blog purposes. I would like to give you the definition of patience which is in a patient manner : with calmness or without complaint or hurry in spite of delays, difficulties, tedium, etc. How many of us complain daily or try to rush what God has already told you he was going to do. I know I have. He will give me the vision or rather the end of the vision, yet will not show me the beginning or middle to get to the end. I have a vision he gave me back in 2015. I have yet to see the manifestation of the vision. A. I did not like where the vision was taking me because of past experiences. B. I did not feel like I was qualified. That is a message for another day. Anyway, what we asked for is coming, we just have to continue to wait on it.
If God gave us everything we asked for it when we asked we would not appreciate it as much if we wait on it. Think about children for example. Have you seen parents that give their children everything they want? The children do not take care of it. They do not appreciate it and still ask for more after just receiving that. They become spoiled. Needless to say, we can become that way as well if we are not already there. One of my favorite verses is Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV), “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” I will drop the mike right there. God has already told us that he wants us to prosper. To give us hope and a future. That should be enough right there. When it comes, it will be right on time.
Today, I encourage you to wait on God. In his word, he said, he will never leave you nor forsake you. Take him at his word. Will the journey be pleasant all the time? No, but our continual hope is in what we do not have yet as the verses above have stated. Stay in hope daily waiting patiently on the manifestation of his promises in your life.