Bible For Dummies 23.
"The waiting is the hardest part-" Tom Petty
I am creating a new series called The Bible For Dummies. It is not meant as a condescending title, but rather an attempt to see deep biblical truths that are easy to apply to our lives for better living in a distracted and busy world. So many people feel stressed and overwhelmed. Many people are carrying heavy wounds. Jesus can heal and restore all. He's the only one.
Waiting is one of the hardest things for me to do in life. I am type A and always in a hurry. However, the Bible teaches us that waiting is a very important tool God uses to teach us many valuable lessons. These are hard lessons but much needed, as I have reluctantly come to realize.
What does God teach us during waiting? Here a just a few lessons:
-Waiting is often used by God to mold us to be more like Jesus by ridding us of our selfishness and pride as He makes us stronger through patient endurance.
-Waiting forces us to remove any of our pre-conceived plans or stubbornness as He refines us through the fires of affliction by ridding us of our desires to run ahead of Him, which only leads to anxiousness. This looks like closed doors in my case.
-Waiting forces us to learn to accept God's direction. See Isaiah 55:8-9
-Waiting helps us learn to value God's timing above our own.
-Waiting prepares us to receive His blessings. God prepares us to receive a gift tomorrow that might crush you if released today. He uses the waiting to grow us in faith and maturity to be better stewards when the blessing comes.
-Waiting can strengthen our faith as we truly learn to lean on our faith and grow our trust in Him, and not on what we can see. See 2 Corinthians 5:7
-Waiting can be used to sift our motives and desires. He must align our motives and tactics with His heart and to achieve the purpose for which He created us. This is where all pride goes to die a final death. Very hard but cathartic if we are honest.
-Waiting finally helps us to repent and see the error of our ways.
"Delay never thwarts God's purposes, rather it sharpens His instrument."- A.W. Tozer
#doughallmedia #thewell #waiting
