It Starts Small

Did He forget about me?

Why wasn’t that prayer answered?

Is He going to show up to fix “this”?

Where are you Lorddddddd!

I have a feeling I am not alone in having moments in life of wondering where are you, Lord? In fact, David wrote these words in the Psalms.

For I put my hope in you, Lord;
you will answer me, my Lord, my God.

Psalm 38:15

Over and over, we see those in the Bible praying and wondering where God was in the midst of affliction. I can imagine that Noah asked this question as many doubted why he was building an ark. Hannah may have faced this situation as she believed in a son. Moses faced this battle when trapped in the wilderness with the complaining Israelites, awaiting the promised land. Elizabeth might have wondered where God was in her youth as she desperately wanted a child.

When my life began falling apart for what seemed like the millionth time, I was in the same situation and wondered when God would hear and answer my prayer. I sat on the dirt floor of a goat barn wondering where are you, Lord?

Today, as you are reading, you may have a situation that you have been waiting a long time to be resolved. I want to encourage you with something the Lord showed me recently during a time of prayer and worship.

There’s a victory in the wait!

Here is what I have seen, God’s timing is always best. We think we God operates within the human realm of time. In moments of frustration, we may not understand why there is a wait. We want God to move and move quickly.

⁸ “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
and your ways are not my ways.”
This is the Lord’s declaration.
⁹ “For as heaven is higher than earth,
so my ways are higher than your ways,
and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Isaiah 55:8-9

However, we must remember that our thoughts are not His thoughts. He does not operate in our time. He knows all, has ALL power, and can change things in an instant. Yet, I have seen time and time again that the wait was exactly what was needed at the time.

In my most recent season of waiting the Lord wanted me to endure each day and depend upon Him for truth. Over time He showed me the truth of someone’s character. He revealed the lies and the evil that schemed and worked to destroy. He proved over and over again the character of a person was a false front and what was really underneath was a character of sinister evil. He needed me to see these things so my hope would remain in him and not that person. So when death to a marriage came, I would understand it was not my doing but the other person’s evil wicked desires. Instead of relying on this person, I could fully trust in God.

I believe it’s in the wait that we learn patience, endurance, and get to act on our faith. The wait has shown me my real heart and secret motivations. The wait has shown me the real heart and motivation of others. The wait has taught me character and compassion for others. The wait has taught me character and compassion of myself. The wait has taught me that God doesn’t forget His people. This is why the word of God says…

² Consider it a great joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you experience various trials, ³ because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. ⁴ And let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.

James 1:2-4

The truth is, it’s easy to have faith when it’s easy to have faith!

When our bank accounts look good, when our family is healthy when things are going great, faith is easy! In my opinion, little faith is required when all is well. True faith matters when things are hard, when we cannot control the outcome, and when we need to trust God.

My friends, let us journey in faith even during the waiting seasons. As we wait for God to deliver on His promises, let us remember that He is not like man. He cannot lie and will act on His word.

Keep the faith, there’s a victory in the wait!

I find that the most encouraging verse in waiting:

²⁷ Jacob, why do you say,
and Israel, why do you assert,
“My way is hidden from the Lord,
and my claim is ignored by my God”?
²⁸ Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the whole earth.
He never becomes faint or weary;
there is no limit to his understanding.
²⁹ He gives strength to the faint
and strengthens the powerless.
³⁰ Youths may become faint and weary,
and young men stumble and fall,
³¹ but those who trust in the Lord
will renew their strength;
they will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not become weary,
they will walk and not faint.

Isaiah 40:27-31