August 6

Wait for Him

"Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the LORD is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!" Isaiah 30:18

 What a God we have: a merciful and gracious God, one who longs to be gracious to us! His first desire is to show us compassion. If this is so, why the delay? Why do we have to wait for Him to do these things? Why does God not rain down on our lives all that we have asked of Him immediately? Why is it that sometimes we wait and feel as if our cries have gone unanswered? These are questions all of God's children have asked themselves at one point or another in their Christian walk. The reality is that God is waiting for us, at no small cost to Himself, until we have come to the end of ourselves. The Bible is full of stories that tell this tale. Abraham jumped ahead of the LORD and conceived Ishmael with his servant woman, not willing to wait for the LORD. It wasn't until he was "too old" that God gave Him his promised son! Jacob wrestled with the angel for a blessing, and not until he was completely exhausted did he receive the blessing. The woman with an issue of blood had tried everything possible to be healed until she was penniless and destitute, but was finally healed when she but touched the hem of Jesus' garment. When we have exhausted all other avenues and have thrown ourselves at the foot of the cross, it is then that our waiting ends, for we have made the way clear for Him to work a more astounding miracle than we had even hoped! Let us never forget that God's delays are not denials. He longs to be gracious to us, but He is waiting: waiting for us to let go of our need for control, our need to know the future; waiting for us to sit back and rest and allow Him to work the miracle. He doesn't need our help, we'll just get in the way, so He waits and when He sees that we are waiting for Him then we will be blessed!

 Father; help us to go to you first with a childlike trust. Help us to let go of our need to control our lives and give them over to you. May we allow you to work the miracles you have in store for each of us without delay. We get in your way so often and we ask for your forgiveness for our stupidity. You are a gracious Father and full of compassion and you long to bless us! Help us to wait for you. Remind us daily that in your own time and in your own way we will be blessed. In our waiting, may glory rise to you, as all see the miracles that you have in store for your children! Amen.