Waiting Quietly for God's Perfect Time
The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him,
to the one who seeks him;
it is good to wait quietly
for the salvation of the Lord.
(Lamentations 3: 25, 26)
Today, I am writing to you from a point in my life where I have personally witnessed the fruitfulness of waiting. I am sure most of you who read this would have gone through hundreds of similar circumstances. Passing a hard and difficult time is, indeed, not easy. The waiting, especially, is not at all easy for human endurance. Holding on to our hope, as every day passes by without answers, is really difficult. "Hope deferred makes the heart sick" (Proverbs 13: 12). We begin to struggle, and imaginations of negativities bring fears into our hearts. These fears drown us, leading us towards a muted and restricted condition in our lives.
In the middle of all these views that we have about 'waiting with hope,' there is a promise that we could see in the verse that we have taken for today's reflection. "The Lord is good to those whose hope is in Him, to the one who seeks Him" (Lamentations 3: 25). Waiting with hope in the Lord brings in goodness in our lives. Waiting patiently for God's perfect time bears fruits of amazing blessings. And, today we are reminded to wait with hope for God's time.
Over the last few years, I have been blessed with the opportunity of travelling the spiritual path of 'waiting and hoping' with some of the young couples who are my good friends. Their waiting was for the same reason; a sustained hope and relentless prayer for the blessing of a baby. All of them had to endure so many difficulties as young married couples seeking God's precious blessing in their life. They would share with me the emptiness they feel and the social taboo that may surround them whenever they try to socialise. I would hear them speaking from the bottom of their broken hearts, still having their unwavering hope in the Lord. Some of them would continue to serve the Lord with so much energy and enthusiasm as they wait upon God's blessings in their family lives. I always remember them in my prayer, encourage them not to lose faith in the Lord, and it was so beautiful and wonderful to see them receiving blessings from the Lord in recent times. That happiness that fills me when they call and share with me the beautiful news, "a little one is on the way" is priceless. There are times I become speechless when they even remind me of the exact time that God would have promised this blessing and how it became a reality. I have been rejoicing and celebrating these blessings with my good friends in recent times, and I thank the Lord for each one of those little ones who are smiling and cooing nowadays in the middle of us in this world. I have learned one important spiritual truth by looking at my friends' lives of quiet waiting - never to lose hope in the Lord, never to stop seeking the Lord, and to wait quietly for God's blessings that come at the right time!
When we wait quietly for God's perfect time, the situations and our surroundings always pressurize us. The questions and doubts projected towards us, the future days that look impossible, the words of negativities, the evidence that proves that we are incapable, our past record of achievements, the social treatment of our failures, inabilities, negative circumstances, and many more. But let me remind you and assure you that none of the above matters to God when He has decided to bless you at the right time. Do not be dismayed and discouraged by any of the above. Surely the Lord will bring in the promised blessings in our lives when His perfect time arrives.
Remember? Even though Jesus was late by four days to come near the tomb of Lazarus, Jesus was still on time (Gospel of John 11: 1 - 43). Even though the disciples were screaming and shouting in the boat in the midst of a furious squall, Jesus waited for the right time, sleeping on a cushion in the stern, and then rebuked the wind and calmed the storm (Mark 4: 35 - 41). Even though the lame beggar was seated at the temple gates from his birth, God had His perfect time to heal the beggar only when Peter and John prayed for him (Acts 3). Surely we know that God's time is perfect, and His delays are there for a reason. When we finally receive His blessings, it not only becomes a blessing to us but also becomes a great blessing to the ones around us as it shows that the Lord is thoughtful, compassionate, and blesses us in His perfect time.
Today, I want to encourage you in the Lord to wait quietly for God's perfect time. Surely the Lord will bless you. His blessings are promised for you. According to His amazing will and purpose, and in His perfect time, all the blessings that He has for you will be upon you. When such moments come in our lives, surely we will rejoice. Let me once again remind you of the full verse of Proverbs 13: 12 that we read above. It says, "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life." Amen! Let these blessings promised for you become a tree of life when your long-awaited blessings are granted. Have your hope in the Lord, continue to seek Him. "It is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord" (Lamentations 3: 26).
May the power and blessings of God the Father, the love and grace of Christ Jesus the Son, and the fellowship and guidance of the Holy Spirit, be with us, as we continue to hope and wait quietly upon the Lord and rejoice in His marvelous blessings.''
May God bless you.
Yours in Christ,
"Four Days Late, Still On Time"
Karen Peck & New River
Live At Saenger Performing Arts Center
