Purpose in the Waiting
Devotional
Purpose in the Waiting
We are living in a microwave generation. Everything has to happen right now. We can’t wait, and results have to be instant. The same can be with how we see our purpose sometimes.
We might believe God has called us to something - to lead thousands in worship, to have a thriving business and earn a 6-figure salary, to find the love of our lives and get married, to travel the world preaching the gospel...the list goes on. There is nothing wrong with believing for these things to come to pass. However, more often than not it takes time and waiting for us to get to that place!
It is estimated that David was only around 15 years old when he was anointed by Samuel to become the king of Israel, yet David did not take up this position until he was 30 years old (2 Samuel 5:4)! In those years of waiting, God prepared David to become a king. It was in the wilderness where David learned some of the most valuable lessons of his life, where all he could rely on was God.
Studying the Psalms gives us an insight into the sorrow David went through, the tears he shed, but also how he learned of God’s faithfulness, of His great love and how David could find his strength and refuge in Him. Read Psalm 25. Going through these times shaped David into the great, godly man that God had appointed to become king of Israel.
Just like David, the waiting is a season where things might not be easy, but it is a season where God prepares us for everything that is ahead as we step into all that He has for us! Rest assured that God goes with you as you step out into the great things He has in store for you.
Scripture
2 Samuel 5:4 (NIV) 4David was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned forty years.
Psalm 25:1–22 (NIV) In you, Lord my God, I put my trust. I trust in you; do not let me be put to shame, nor let my enemies triumph over me. No one who hopes in you will ever be put to shame, but shame will come on those who are treacherous without cause. Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long. Remember, Lord, your great mercy and love, for they are from of old. Do not remember the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to your love remember me, for you, Lord, are good. Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in his ways. He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way. All the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful toward those who keep the demands of his covenant. For the sake of your name, Lord, forgive my iniquity, though it is great. Who, then, are those who fear the Lord? He will instruct them in the ways they should choose. They will spend their days in prosperity, and their descendants will inherit the land. The Lord confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them. My eyes are ever on the Lord, for only he will release my feet from the snare. Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted. Relieve the troubles of my heart and free me from my anguish. Look on my affliction and my distress and take away all my sins. See how numerous are my enemies and how fiercely they hate me! Guard my life and rescue me; do not let me be put to shame, for I take refuge in you. May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope, Lord, is in you. Deliver Israel, O God, from all their troubles!
Purpose in the Waiting
We are living in a microwave generation. Everything has to happen right now. We can’t wait, and results have to be instant. The same can be with how we see our purpose sometimes.
We might believe God has called us to something - to lead thousands in worship, to have a thriving business and earn a 6-figure salary, to find the love of our lives and get married, to travel the world preaching the gospel...the list goes on. There is nothing wrong with believing for these things to come to pass. However, more often than not it takes time and waiting for us to get to that place!
It is estimated that David was only around 15 years old when he was anointed by Samuel to become the king of Israel, yet David did not take up this position until he was 30 years old (2 Samuel 5:4)! In those years of waiting, God prepared David to become a king. It was in the wilderness where David learned some of the most valuable lessons of his life, where all he could rely on was God.
Studying the Psalms gives us an insight into the sorrow David went through, the tears he shed, but also how he learned of God’s faithfulness, of His great love and how David could find his strength and refuge in Him. Read Psalm 25. Going through these times shaped David into the great, godly man that God had appointed to become king of Israel.
Just like David, the waiting is a season where things might not be easy, but it is a season where God prepares us for everything that is ahead as we step into all that He has for us! Rest assured that God goes with you as you step out into the great things He has in store for you.
Scripture
2 Samuel 5:4 (NIV) 4David was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned forty years.
Psalm 25:1–22 (NIV) In you, Lord my God, I put my trust. I trust in you; do not let me be put to shame, nor let my enemies triumph over me. No one who hopes in you will ever be put to shame, but shame will come on those who are treacherous without cause. Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long. Remember, Lord, your great mercy and love, for they are from of old. Do not remember the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to your love remember me, for you, Lord, are good. Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in his ways. He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way. All the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful toward those who keep the demands of his covenant. For the sake of your name, Lord, forgive my iniquity, though it is great. Who, then, are those who fear the Lord? He will instruct them in the ways they should choose. They will spend their days in prosperity, and their descendants will inherit the land. The Lord confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them. My eyes are ever on the Lord, for only he will release my feet from the snare. Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted. Relieve the troubles of my heart and free me from my anguish. Look on my affliction and my distress and take away all my sins. See how numerous are my enemies and how fiercely they hate me! Guard my life and rescue me; do not let me be put to shame, for I take refuge in you. May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope, Lord, is in you. Deliver Israel, O God, from all their troubles!
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2 Comments
As creatures with a limited lifespan, we tend to think in "short" terms. Eveything is measured against the relevant time span: our childhood, our teens, our education, our work life and our retirement life. None of those goes beyond 55 or so years, generally. But God see things in an eternal perspective and when we join his kingdom, he sees us in that way. So 15 to 20 years to fully come into our purpose is not long at all. Its hard for us, but we need to adopt God's way of looking at things. Sharon and I were married 17 years, had been devoted to God and His ways for a little over 13 years before He called us to be pastors. Before it happened, I would never have been able to wait that long, but once it did and I look back, it seems it all happened in an instant. So there is definitely purpose in the waiting.
The waiting is essential. We are not perfect and it takes time for us to learn lessons. The waiting period is where God teaches and molds us into what we need to be. When we wait for Gods timing things fall into place smoothly. When we try to make things happen on our timing it a constant struggle.