When God says wait

Patience is perhaps one of the hardest virtues to practice and live out in our day-to-day lives.

Consider toddlers and young children, for example. Ask them to wait for something—especially something they really, really want—and they will quickly let you know how hard they find it to be patient.

In today’s world, we have become very accustomed to instant gratification. Want instant hot food? Fast-food restaurants are just around the corner. Need quick entertainment? Open your phone and scroll through social media. Looking for something specific by tomorrow? Next-day delivery is widely available. Need to connect with someone? Send a text or call. As a generation, we are growing used to not having to wait and often become frustrated when we are required to.

But instant gratification is not biblical. In fact, it could be argued that it is rooted in sin. Satan often entices us with quick fixes. He tempts us to take the easy path—the path of least resistance. God, however, calls us to a higher standard. He requires that we first turn to Him and seek His direction. And sometimes, that means waiting. Sometimes, it means waiting for a very long time!

There are countless examples of biblical figures who had to wait. Sarah and Abraham, for instance, had to wait to become parents. It is believed that Sarah waited over 25 years to conceive! A key element of their story, however, is that God promised Abraham and Sarah that they would have a son:

“And God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be. And I will bless her, and give you a son also of her: yes, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her.” (Genesis 17:15–17)

God never breaks His promises. He is a God of His word. So, if God has promised you something and you have yet to see the evidence of that promise, stay steadfast in your faith. Exercise patience. God will deliver, and He is always on time.

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8–9)

It can be incredibly difficult not to grow impatient during a season of waiting—especially when we know God has promised us something, yet we cannot see how He is working to fulfil that promise. This verse in Isaiah is a helpful reminder that we are not God. Even if the solution or “answered promise” seems simple to us, it does not mean it aligns with God’s way or timing. We must trust in the fact that God knows all. He sees what we cannot, He knows the beginning and the end, and therefore His timing and His way are always perfect.

Moses is another example of someone who had to wait for God to fulfil His promise. God assured Moses that He would deliver the Israelites from Egypt, but He didn’t provide a detailed plan or a specific timeline. Moses had to have faith, even when things looked grim—even in the face of sickness, death, and hardship.

“And I have promised to bring you up out of your misery in Egypt into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites—a land flowing with milk and honey.” (Exodus 3:17)

Moses had to wait again for the realisation of the promise of the Promised Land. Many of us know this story which depicts the Israelites and their persistent impatience, moaning and lack of faith; because of this it took them 40 years to receive God's promise! This is perhaps a good example of not delaying our promises through our own inability to wait and lean on God’s goodness.

“The Israelites had moved about in the wilderness forty years until all the men who were of military age when they left Egypt had died, since they had not obeyed the LORD.” (Joshua 5:6)

But what if God hasn’t explicitly promised you something? What if you are waiting with no clear idea of what the outcome may be? How do you maintain faith and remain patient during such a season? The story of Joseph offers a profound lesson.

Joseph was betrayed by his brothers and sold into slavery. As a servant, he was falsely accused and thrown into prison, where he spent several years. It would have been easy for Joseph to feel hopeless or forgotten by God. Yet he remained patient and continued to honour God during his season of waiting.

While God did not promise Joseph anything explicitly, He did speak to him through dreams and visions, revealing glimpses of the future. Similarly, when we are in a waiting season, God may reveal things to us through dreams, visions, or prophetic words from others. As the author of our stories, God sees the beginning, middle, and end. Every sentence, every page, every chapter serves a purpose. Joseph’s waiting season was not wasted; he went from being a prisoner to holding a position of great power, second only to Pharaoh. God has a perfect plan for our lives.

“You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” (Genesis 50:20)

This verse is a powerful reminder that God uses every moment—even those that seem painful or confusing—to bring glory to Himself.

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28)

Notice the verse says all things, not some things. This means that even if your waiting season feels strange, unfamiliar, or difficult, you can trust that God is working through it.

There’s a saying: “anything worth having takes time.” While this may not always hold true, it resonates with many aspects of life. A baby takes nine months to develop in the womb. Most would agree that children are very much worth having and yet to have one, you are required to wait. If you want to go on holiday there is a period of waiting as you leave one location and travel to the other. The formation of gold in the earth is thought to take thousands and thousands of years. Some things can simply not be rushed and neither can your story!

Rushing a waiting season can lead to consequences outside of God’s plan. That doesn’t mean He won’t use those consequences for your good—He will—but it can prolong the process. For example, Sarah’s decision to rush her waiting season led to the birth of Ishmael. Though God blessed Ishmael, Sarah’s choice had lasting consequences.

Ultimately, all of us will at some point in life endure a waiting season and it is often a very challenging season to walk through, but nonetheless, we must remain obedient to God’s will and keep our eyes fixed on Him. Remember, and hold close, the truth that God WILL use the waiting for your betterment. Many of us have testimonies which show the goodness which can result from a season of waiting. Do not be discouraged. Time is never wasted with God. He loves you, you are His precious child and He will never let you down.

Stay blessed.

Let Us Run With Endurance

The marathon, an unforgiving test of endurance as you traverse the uneven terrain spanning a seemingly endless perimeter. Some make it their life goal, an accomplishment like no other, training to face the mammoth task with precision engineered nutrition, sleep and training. The day arrives and their bodies are primed, their muscle fibres twitching as they prepare to emerge victorious in the war that will almost certainly ensue. It’s the calm before the storm. 

Hebrews 12:1

12 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us'

Many of us have attempted to run the race of enduring faith as if it were a sprint, only to find ourselves weak, weary and overcome with a feeling of fatigue. Tempted to give up, to perhaps return to the sin which so easily ensnares us. This scripture serves not only to remind us of the method we must adopt, but also to instruct us of the preparations we must make in order to finish the race. We must position ourselves as athletes of a different kind, harnessing the word of God as our spiritual food (Jeremiah 15:16) and our prayer a form of training. Just as marathon runners turn to the pioneers in sportswear technology in order to run their race in the most aerodynamic, weight saving clothing. We must turn to God and lay aside every weight of sin that inhibits our steps toward Jesus.

We can find hope in the knowledge that although each step towards God may feel as if it brings new and uncomfortable uncertainties. He has already gone before us and will never leave us nor forsake us  (Deuteronomy 31:8) for God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved (John 3:17).

Written by Daniel Campbell

One Foot in Front

A Testimony by Royston Labrooy

Boring, unattractive, religious, these are the words I once used to describe the church.

 Growing up in a catholic family with its customs and ritualistic expression seemed a far cry from the fun, free, unrestricted path that the world had to offer. What was on offer? A carefree lifestyle where alcohol and cannabis were part of the daily routine. I thought I was doing fine, I mean, everything at least made sense, until that day, during that conversation. I remember the feeling of brokenness and loss of identity. The man who I believed to be my father, all of a sudden wasn’t. As my mother spoke my mind began to drift, who was I? What do I do now?

A close friend of mine invited me to church. It felt like the sermon was tailored to be a perfect fit for my situation. ‘God is your father, God loves you, God will never forsake you’ were words that not only provided comfort but also stirred something inside of me. I realised I wasn’t right with God, I was far from God, but finally I was ready to accept him as my Lord and Saviour.

Reading, praying and fellowshipping were becoming all the more frequent until my Christian walk took an adverse turn. I began to reminisce, thinking about the pleasures of the world and as our brains so often do, the painful memories were eradicated and replaced with the fantasy that life had been a blissful, fulfilling experience up to this point.

I became isolated, relegated to a putrid life that consisted of an almost compulsory, insatiable, continuous cycle of destruction. Smoking and drinking were almost obligatory activities.

I distinctly remember avoiding Tooting as I knew that I would have to come face to face with a past I had left behind. I think deep down it was a way to avoid the spiritual conviction that would follow.

After months of rejecting the idea of returning to church, and more importantly God, I accepted a friend’s invitation to attend a service. Although I came with the wrong motive, God began to deal with me during the service.

It was like God was talking to me, telling me that he had a destiny for me.

The things that for so long had held me a captive of sin were dealt with, not on my own strength but the pure power that comes from the word of God. There were no quick fixes, no overnight perfect discipleship program but over time God changed my heart.

I was never one who possessed natural flair or a desire for public speaking, an introvert by nature, and this shy, reclusive character was changed. I now have a passion for the things of Christ, even if that means being in uncomfortable situations. I realised that many people in the Bible would perhaps not be deemed natural choices as leaders. I was a man of excuses, but God continued to change me into an overcomer, willing to be used by God, leaning on his strength in unsure times.

My message to anyone reading this would be to come as you are. God doesn’t ask us to come to him in a perfected state; in fact it is impossible to attain perfection by ourselves. Through Christ we are made clean in the sight of God. God will change you if you trust and put one foot in front of the other.

Out Of The Boat

We all know the story of how Jesus walked on water and how Peter briefly walked on water as well, but doubted and began to sink until Jesus reached out to save Him. There is much to learn from this story and from Peter and Jesus’ actions. 

Matthew 14:22-36:

“22 Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. 23 And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, 24 but the boat by this time was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them. 25 And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. 26 But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear. 27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.”

28 And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.”29 He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” 31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” 32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33 And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

Jesus walking on water is connected to an earlier episode in the gospel in which He calmed the storm (Matthew 8:18-34). The “water” and the “storm” in these instances could be interpreted as trying times or a period of uncertainty. In both instances, Jesus easily overcomes the water and the storm and rescues the disciples. He proves Himself to be Lord of the wind, waves, water and the sea; all of which made the disciples anxious. Peter stepped out of the boat because, in that moment, He trusted Jesus with his life but it was only when he noticed the wind around him that he began to sink. Many times when we trust Jesus with our lives, our relationships, our finances, our jobs etc. we “walk on water” and do miraculous things but when we notice the wind and take our eyes off Jesus, for example, by doubting God, that is when we begin to sink.

What’s more notable about this is that the disciples had just witnessed Jesus feeding the five thousand and other miracles before that therefore, they knew what He was capable of. Yet in both instances, they still doubted Him and had little faith even though they knew that He could easily rescue them in the twinkling of an eye. We are, somewhat, a representation of the disciples. We have witnessed the miracles of Jesus in our lives, our families’ lives, yet when the storm comes and we notice “the wind” around us, we forget everything that Jesus has done and begin to panic and sink. However, the beauty of Jesus, our Saviour is that He is exactly that: A Saviour. When Peter began to sink, he cried out to Jesus, “Lord, save me,” and Jesus immediately did exactly that. This echoes Romans 10:13, where Paul writes “for whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Peter’s attempt to walk on water shouldn’t be wholly viewed as a failure because even in his fear, he still cried out to the Lord. He knew that Jesus was the only one who could save him – not the other disciples. When hard times approach, let your first instinct be to call out to Jesus to save you. In verse 32, when Jesus and Peter got into the boat, the wind immediately ceased, which shows us that when Jesus gets in “our boats” i.e. our lives, the storms of life will calm and we can worship him like the disciples did. Although, we should always have faith, we are human and there will be times when we will lack faith and begin to sink, but let us be encouraged by the fact that all we have to do is call upon His name and He will save us.