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Waiting

By June 5, 2016Daily Devotionals

Prayer:  Dear Lord, Our waiting for summer break is almost over. Thank You, Lord. May we use the time You are giving us wisely!  Thank You, Lord, for a change of pace. Amen.

Scripture: In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation. Psalm 5:3 NIV

I have failed in my many attempts to make chicken and dumplins’ (that’s “dumplings” for those of you who don’t share my native tongue). My sweet friend Jenny cooked some for us one Sunday afternoon. I watched carefully, determined to learn the secret of a successful dumplin’. After dropping the dough into the stock you are supposed to put the lid on and wait 20 or so minutes without lifting the lid. WAIT twenty minutes?! What if I just lift the lid to check on them? Wouldn’t they be better if I could give them a quick stir? How do I know they are ok? I am just supposed to put a lid on them and wait. With my mindset, you can see why I have never made a successful dumplin’!

Do you ever feel that you spend a major portion of your life waiting? Waiting for instructions, waiting for an announcement, waiting for your spouse, waiting for your class to get quiet and listen, waiting for summer vacation, waiting for the bell to ring, waiting, waiting, and waiting.  I notice that I can wait for the bell to ring, knowing I can’t do a thing to make it ring earlier. But when it comes to waiting for an answer to my prayers, my waiting skills diminish even further. I try to “help God” with an answer or direction. Let it be known that God has never once asked for my help, nor have I been called to become the Holy Spirit’s assistant. So many times we lay our requests at His feet only to run by a few minutes later and pick them back up to toil or worry over for a while longer.

In this Psalm, David writes about his morning prayer time when he lays his requests before God and then he waits in expectation. Oh, how much more God will do when we wait with trust in His outcome. My lack of patience leads to gooey dough not fit for man or beast to eat, and lost blessings.

What do you need to lie before God? What circumstances make it hardest for you to wait? What can you do when you are tempted to work instead of waiting? Consider a time when you waited on God and His answer to your prayer far exceeded your expectation.

Copyright Kathy Branzell.  Email [email protected]