Worth The Wait

Genesis 30:22-24; 35:16-20

Have you ever prayed for something so long, until it seemed as if God was ignoring you? The thing you felt was necessary to make your life better, seemed not to be on God’s mind at all. What are you to do, when you pray and cry, cry and pray for a thing, but all your efforts seem futile? Unfortunately, I don’t know the answer to that, but I can offer a suggestion, that could help you endure the waiting game.

When we pray to God in faith, He indeed hears us, and desires that our needs be met, but there will come times when God will delay our manifestation, in order to reveal a more deeper revelation through our patience. Sometimes, God withholds blessings, so that the true motives and intentions of others can be revealed early, so that you can see who’s really for you, and who’s not. God also delays things in order to monitor whether or not we have more desire for material things, over His spiritual blessings. There will even be moments when we’ll pray for something, and it’ll never manifest in the earth. Thankfully, God knows all, and has full understanding of the things that will make our lives better, but He cares more for our eternal prosperity, rather than our earthly, temporal possessions.

In our text, Rachel had become envious of her sister Leah, because she bear no children. Jacob was tricked by Rachel’s father into marrying her sister, so he was obligated to bring forth children with Leah also, but Rachel seemed barren, and was ashamed of her present situation. After having six sons and one daughter, Leah was certain that Jacob would dwell with her, or consider showing her more appreciation, but God then remembered Rachel, and opened her womb.

When it seems like all hope is lost, and everyone around you is prospering, these are the moments God steps in to prove to your haters, He never forgets His own. Why God waits until the last minute to bless us sometimes, I’ll never know, but I’m just grateful that He comes through.

You may have been praying and believing for God to open or close doors in your life for a long time, but don’t lose heart. God heard all your prayers, and has not forgotten you. All your prayers of faith have been like a soothing incense to God, and He’ll soon step into your situation, and manifest His love for all to see. Hang in there, and trust that your season of suffering will soon come to an end.

Why does the living man complain?

Ell

Soon, The Sighs Will Cease

Isaiah 35:3-10

Soon, and very soon, all our troubles in this life will be over. The long days and nights of struggling to make ends meet, will forever be changed, when Christ comes to receive His church. On that day, there will be no more stressing, worrying, wondering, contemplating, pondering, wishing, hoping, doubting, disbelieving, crying, moaning, hurting, yelling, screaming, shaking, kicking, running, hiding, or blocking out anything and everything that could potentially push us over the edge.

Soon, and very soon, the things we thought mattered in this world, will mean absolutely nothing. We concern ourselves with all the distractions the enemy floods in media streams, and cause ourselves to lose focus on the simple fact that God is still in control, while Bible prophecy fulfills itself. We lose hope in the power of God, when we make life’s problems bigger than He is, but His mercy is everlasting, and He knows that we are only human, and can only take so much. But, there’s no excuse to lose heart, even in a world of unyielding wickedness, because many before us endured worse situations than we’ll ever face.

Soon, and very soon, we won’t have to sigh anymore, because, “…God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away” (Rev 21:4). Soon, the sighs will cease, then the rest of our days will be lived enjoying the presence of the almighty, all-powerful, and all-knowing God of all creation!

Don’t give up! Don’t give in! Do not quit! You’ve ran the race well this long, so trust God to give you strength to finish.

Keep your chin up… it’s easier to see Heaven that way,

Ell

Trust The Process

Psalm 130

Pray – Wait – Receive. This is the typical process the children of God experience when seeking answers from the Father. Before coming to God with any request, we must first determine if what we desire is aligned with God’s will for us. Children ask their parents for everything, and most of what they whine for, are things they don’t need. A good parent knows how to ignore futile requests, for the ones that are actually relevant. Although God may hear all our prayers, He will only answer the ones that will make our lives better, but for His purposes. Selfish prayers are never answered, and God is too wise to give us things that would draw us away from Himself. When we pray, let’s be certain that what we ask for, will not only benefit ourselves, but also have an impact on the kingdom of God.

The “waiting game” is the second part of the prayer process. In my most honest opinion, I HATE WAITING! I don’t consider myself a millennial, nor do I openly confess to be amongst the microwave generation, but, I do not enjoy waiting. Waiting for God to answer our prayers is very important, because during these moments, God monitors how we behave, until He decides to respond. I have failed many tests of waiting, and found myself complaining that God was taking too long to assist me, on multiple occasions. Little did I know, God had my answer, before I even prayed, but waited to see if I would wait patiently for His response. Well, I’m grateful for second chances, because from those experiences, I learned to wait on God, no matter what.

The rewards that come from waiting on God are absolutely amazing (ask Joseph, Job, and Daniel, if you don’t believe me)! God knows what we need before we even ask, but He demands constant communication between He and His children, so that healthy rapport can be established, and we will always know His voice, from the enemy’s. God doesn’t need blessings, but we do. “Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them” (Mark 11:24 KJV).

After we pray to God, we are to live as if those prayers are already answered. We should continue living and loving, as God commanded, rather than put our lives on hold, waiting to see if God will answer us. Prayer does work, and although the devil attacks us spiritually, trying to hinder our blessings, God will always answer the prayers of the righteous. “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much” (James 5:16b KJV).

Walk in love,

Ell

The Lord is near in suffering

James 5:7-12

Driving home one day from work, I pulled my car over to the side of the road, and watched as all the vehicles zoomed past me on the busy highway. As each car passed, I wondered to myself, where was each person heading, and what were the thoughts on their minds. There were some who seemed to be cruising along, with seemingly no worries on their minds, while others zipped by, as if they were late for work, or some other engagement. I sat in my car for a good while, pondering how many people were actually thinking about Christ’ second coming. It’s sad sometimes how we can get so caught up in our daily affairs, until we allow the thought of Jesus returning to slip our minds.

How often do you consider that tomorrow could be your last day on this earth? Give that some serious thought, because what we set our minds to will determine how much time we’ll invest in preparing for it. James, the half-brother of Jesus Christ, urges the church, in this text, to be patient as they await Christ’s return. No man knows the day, nor the hour when Jesus will return, so we are to patiently wait for His coming. Waiting is one of the most difficult things to do in this microwave generation. People hate waiting for food, red lights, lines at restaurants, and most things that require a little time, but there’s a great reward in waiting patiently for Christ. As believers wait, we also grow spiritually, and our mental capacity to understand the mysteries of God increases as well. Our love for others continues to develop, as we experience different encounters with people we meet on our journey. Even in times of suffering, God keeps us from falling, and allows our trials to reveal how strong our faith has become in Him.

Verse seven mentions that Christ, the husbandman, waits for the precious fruit of the earth, and He has long patience for it, until He receives the early and latter rain. This simply means that Christ is preparing to receive the early spiritual rain that fell at the foundation of the church, also the latter rain that will be poured out at the end of this age, when all the church will be gathered together. I encourage all believers to be not weary in well doing. Times will get hard, and you’ll desire to give up, but don’t throw in the towel. James reminds us to consider Job, and all he encountered. He trusted God, and was patient during his unprecedented suffering, and God showed him exceeding great mercy in the end. Even many of the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord, endured great suffering while they waited patiently to see the Savior. The same God who kept and blessed Job and the prophets of old, is standing ready to walk you patiently through your journey as well.

Know that God is always with us, to keep us walking the path of righteousness, no matter what comes against us. Christ is coming back for a ready people, without spot or wrinkle, so keep your mind set on things above, and don’t get consumed with the futile affairs of men.

Walk in love,

Ell