My waiting equals God’s glory

In Beth Moore’s bible study, Living Beyond Yourself, she spends one week just on Peace which is the third part of the fruit of the spirit. During the week, she gives us portraits of peace in Jesus life and the two that stood at to me were Peace in my circumstances and peace in the wait. One of the verses she uses is Is. 64:4 “Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has percieved, no eyes have seen any God besides you who acts on behalf of those waiting on Him.” It is often in the waiting that God’s glory is most seen.

Let me begin with some biblical examples. Jesus sends the disciple ahead in a boat and goes away for some time with God. The disiciples get stuck in the middle of the lake in a bad storm and are struggling. They probably struggled a long time since it tells us in Matt 14 that Jesus came to them during the 4th watch. Jesus didn’t save them right when the storm started but right when they most needed him. God’s glory was seen in Jesus walking on the water in the midst of the storm and then in Jesus calming the storm in his time. In John 11, Jesus didn’t go to see Lazarus until after Lazarus was dead. When they arrived in Bethany, Lazarus had been dead 4 days. Because of the wait, Lazarus being brought back to life was truly a miracle and the timing was perfect for many Jews who had come to mourn with Mary and Martha to believe in Jesus because of this miracle.

I have also seen this in the people around me including in our lives. We have friend who are in China right now who are getting a special needs baby. We have waited and prayed for them and sometimes the waiting seemed so long but when everything came together we could clearly see God’s glory and hand in it all from the timing of the their letter to go to being able to get their plane tickets switched to an earlier date. In our lives, we saw God’s perfect timing in the wait in regard to our rental house. Everything had fallen in place except us being able to find a place to live. After much praying, we searched once more online and found where we are now, a nice rental on a street where kids can play outside and in our price range. In the waiting and timing, we knew we could not take credit for it but it was God’s hand in it all.

I have a friend who is waiting. They are waiting to adopt an older child from China who has no paperwork. To us this seems like a road block but to God it is an opportunity to show his glory. I am excited to see how God will work in my friend’s life as I hope and pray and wait with her and her family.

God of perfect timing. We praise you for your grace to us in all situations. We love you and wait on your perfect will. We wait to see your glory in all things. Amen