Psalm 27:13-14
Ask yourself this question: “How long am I willing to wait for God?” With this question comes a challenge of the heart. Can we endure His timing? God’s timing is so odd to us. He seems to take forever but then without notice, He swoops in with such power and effectiveness we wonder why we ever worried about the situation in the first place.
Near a place I used to work was a homeless lady. She lived on the corner, and her home consisted of tarps, blankets, and a giant umbrella. Not to mentions all the bags of “who knows what” that was around her as a fortress. Many have tried to help her. I myself have given her food, spoke with her about Jesus and gave her a book on salvation. Others have offered to take her to a shelter or find a warm place to stay. Her answer was always the same. “No, I am waiting for somebody.”
We were all baffled as to who she was waiting for. Somebody left her there and told her they would be back to pick her up, so she waits. Years have gone by, and she still waits. If the weather gets cold, the law forces her to seek shelter, but as soon as it was considered warm enough to be back on the streets, she was out there on her tarps, waiting. My mind would spin when I would see her. You could see she was not well mentally, but with that aside, I was amazed at her fierceness to wait for her promised one who said, “I will be back.”
In the natural it seems insane, but let’s take it to another level: to fiercely wait for a promise to be fulfilled so much so, that one looks crazy. When I see this precious woman, I am challenged with the question “Are you willing to look ridiculous for Me?” I have stood and waited for promises from God to be fulfilled to the point of feeling foolish. I have proclaimed them, planted myself on them, declared them and wept for them. I have cried out to my Father to fulfill His Word and hold me to His plan.
Hosea 12:4 tells us how Jacob struggled and wept for God’s blessing and favor. Yes, he wrestled with the angel and won. He wept and pleaded for a blessing from him. Here at Bethel he met God face to face, and God spoke to him.
Like Jacob and our little homeless lady, I too have waited for promises to be fulfilled. I even tried to fulfill them myself (not a good idea). So I lay my tarps down, stack my bags of promise around me, and place the umbrella of God’s goodness over me and wait. I wait in the storms that bully me to run away. I wait in the bitter cold of watching others receive. I wait during the scorching heat of trials. I wait while others watch me wait. Maybe I look foolish, ridiculous, and crazy. Then in a blink of an eye, an answer will come, a word of hope will refresh, I will be encouraged in my waiting, and I m reminded once again of the beautiful promise when it was first spoken.
Friend, don’t give up, His Promises are yes and amen. You will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the Living. Wait for the Lord: be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord
Excerpts from Life in Your Losses
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