Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. – Psalm 27:14
Problems…we all get them. Some of them are short-term and some are long. The thing they all have in common is that we want answers on how to solve them and we want it as soon as possible. We want to get rid of our problems and move on. The last thing we want is to be weighed down by things we don’t want.
When our problems get solved straight away or within in a short period, we are happy. Happy that it didn’t last and relieved that we got an answer, even if it wasn’t the one we wanted. Any answer is better than still waiting for one and not knowing when we will get it.
As Christians, when we have a problem, we usually go to God, expecting an answer there and then. Why should we wait for an answer when we have God, a loving father? He should give us an answer or a result now when we want it…shouldn’t He?
No matter what our problem is, sometimes we have to wait and there is a reason. God always wants us to be where he has always planned, we should be. Our choices make us go off track and down a path that God doesn’t want us to be on. To get us back on the right path, He sometimes uses the problems we have to get us there. Once we get to the place where He wants us to be then He will fix them.
Using our problems to get us to the right place is something that God does often. Even if we are in the right place, there may still be problems because God is shaping us to be the person, he wants us to be. Problems and difficulties help us to mature, and we learn how to handle life’s problems and challenges more efficiently.
However, as humans we have a problem with waiting. We get frustrated and annoyed when things drag on longer than we think they should. Why doesn’t God heal me? Why must I keep dealing with these issues? The answer to these and other similar questions is “I don’t know” but you can be certain that God does know. Humans will never have the answer or solution to every problem in the world, but God does.
If you are still waiting for an answer to your problem, then there is a reason why. Maybe you’re not yet in the place God wants you to be. Even if you can’t see a solution to your problem, God is there working in the background bringing about whatever it is that is needed to solve it. It may take some time and that is why we must be strong and take heart. Waiting for God is not easy.
The next time a problem arises, take heart, and know that God will give you answer when the time is right. Be strong in the knowledge that whatever the answer is, it will be something that will bring glory to God…something that will make all the waiting worthwhile.
Originally published April 2019