Faith and waiting…

Faith involves waiting, and most of us don’t care for waiting much. Have you ever considered how the Biblical characters commended for their faith had learned the practice of waiting?

Read Hebrews 11, paying special attention to how long these faith heroes waited, and you’re sure to see the connection between faith and waiting.

•  Noah had faith (11:7), and he waited 100 years for it to rain—in the mean time he got busy and built a boat.
• Abraham had faith (11:8), and he waited until he was 100 years old before his wife gave birth to the son of promise: Isaac.
• Sarah had faith (11:11), and she waited until she was way past the child-bearing years before her arms cradled her son.
• Moses had faith (11:23), and he waited, shepherding sheep in Midian for 40 years, before God sent him back to Egypt to free his fellow Israelites.
• The Israelites crossed the Red Sea by faith (11:29), yet prior to their crossing they panicked, and Moses told them to stand firm (wait) on the Lord to do a miracle (Ex. 14:13).
• The advancing Jews had faith (Heb. 11:30), and waited for 7 days for Jericho’s walls to fall –while they daily did their aerobic walking around the city.
• Rahab had faith (Heb. 11:31), and waited in her home in the Jericho wall while God’s appointed earthquake shook the surrounding walls down.

Perhaps your present circumstances require some waiting:

• For that lab report to come in.
• For a prodigal to return home.
• For the repentance of a spouse.
• For a child to be born.
• For a relationship to be restored.
• For that potential employer to call about the job.

 The waiting period can be a faith-building period if you and I will learn to trust God through it.

Waiting gives us the opportunity to look ahead for what God will ultimately do on our behalf.

So…READY, SET, and by faith WAIT.