wait Archives - Marissa Henley

Do you remember what it was like to have out-of-town visitors arriving in the days before cell phones? When I was a kid, I loved the days when our grandparents were coming to town. We knew how far they were driving and could ballpark a estimated arrival time, but we couldn’t be certain. All day we’d watch with eager anticipation for our loved ones, never knowing when the doorbell would end our waiting.

We’ve been talking about waiting for the past couple of weeks. We have courage because it’s the Lord we are waiting for. We remember that God is good to us while we wait. And today let’s find comfort in the promise that our waiting will not last forever. Whether we receive the desires of our hearts here or in heaven, there will be a glorious day when all our waiting will end.

“It will be said on that day, ‘Behold, this is our God; we have waited on him, that he might save us. This is the Lord; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.’” (Isaiah 25:9)

One day, we will behold our God and realize that all we need is Him. Can you imagine seeing the Lord and wishing you’d gotten that new car you’d always dreamed of? Everything else we’ve been waiting for will flee from our thoughts as we see the glory of God and enjoy His presence forever.

This line from a song by Sandra McCracken is one of my favorite descriptions of that day: “He has done great things, we will say together, we will feast and weep no more.”

Can you picture all of God’s people together, finally seeing the full goodness and beauty of our Lord and Savior, giving Him praise for all the great things He has done? Can you see the eyes that will never again cry sorrowful tears? On that day, we will have all we have ever waited for in Christ.

No matter what you face this week, your waiting will not last forever.

Last year, I let my kids stay up to watch the ball drop on New Year’s Eve. They were bursting with anticipation and constantly kept an eye on the clock as they waited for the big moment to arrive. We turned on the tv just in time to watch the sparkling ball descend and usher in the start of 2017. Then my kids turned to me with disappointed faces and whined, “Was that it?! That was the big ball??” I don’t know what they were waiting for, but the reality didn’t live up to the expectation.

Maybe you can relate. Maybe you waited for something you thought would be wonderful, and it turned out to be mediocre. Maybe you’re still waiting, and you wonder if your waiting will be worth it.

We’ve been talking about God’s faithfulness for the past few weeks. We’ve seen that God keeps His promises. We’ve learned that we can hold on to our hope and entrust our souls to our faithful Creator. Today we ask the question, “If we are convinced of God’s faithfulness, how should we respond?”

We find a clue in Romans 8:25:

“But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.”

Are you still hoping for what you don’t yet see? Wait for it with patience.

We wait patiently with confidence because we know our hope will not put us to shame (Romans 5:5).

We wait patiently with peace because God knows what we need (Philippians 4:19).

We wait patiently with expectation because there will be a glorious end to our waiting (1 Peter 5:10).

We won’t get to the end of our wait and find disappointment. We won’t frown and ask, “Is that it?!” When we see the Father’s glory and His faithfulness to His children, we’ll find it was worth every second of our faith-filled wait.

No matter what you face this week, wait patiently because the Lord is faithful.

Your Waiting Will Not Last Forever {No Matter What Monday}

Wait Patiently – The Lord is Faithful {No Matter What Monday}