Revelation 13:10
Anyone who is destined for prison
will be taken to prison.
Anyone destined to die by the sword
will die by the sword.
This means that God’s holy people must endure persecution patiently and remain faithful.
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
I often end these devotionals with the question… “What are you waiting for?” Today, I want to pose this question again… but not in the context of “What is taking you so long?”… but rather, “What are you waiting for?” Some of us are waiting for a life event… a wedding, the birth of a baby… or even the death of a loved one. Still others are waiting on a new job, a new house, or that high school or college diploma. Even more are waiting on something less tangible…a relationship change… the loss of that last few pounds or inches… or even the check in the mail from a major sweepstakes that we know isn’t really coming (but we dream big anyway!).
We are all waiting on something, whether we realize it or not. Along the way, “life” happens… joys, sorrows, seasons of growth and great prosperity… and those of illness, despair, and deep despondency. There are times when we wonder, “Why is this happening to me?” – or even “Where is God?” There are times when everything seems to go right, and we feel the presence and blessings of God so profoundly…and “Life is Good,” as the t-shirt proclaims. Then there are times when everything falls apart… when we may or may not feel God’s presence… and life seems anything but good. And many of us give up – at least temporarily – on God.
Regardless of the “season,” our job as Christians is to keep on waiting… to continue to call on God to draw near to us, guide our steps and protect our course… and to keep believing that He will do exactly this. On any given day, you or I could find ourselves at the top of the heap, so to speak… or buried at the bottom. We could feel incredibly protected and euphoric… or persecuted and disheartened. But still… we wait.
We wait for God to come to us… to show us His perfect wisdom and designs for our life. We trust that He will never leave us… we remain faithful to Him and believe in His power as our God of answered prayers and fulfilled promises. This week, a lifelong friend of mine buried his father. At the funeral, he said his dad had compared his future to that of the Apostle Paul… if he stayed on this earth and got to enjoy his children and grandchildren – great! If God called him to heaven to be with his wife, parents, and others who preceded him… to sit daily at the feet of Jesus for the rest of eternity – even better! Either way, he was a winner. And so he waited. And with perfect timing and precision, God called him home a few days ago.
So my question today is once again, “What are you waiting for?” What are you anticipating… how are you meeting the challenges and the “ups and downs” of each and every minute of the day? Do you “count it all gain” like the Apostle Paul and my friend’s dad? Or do you find that you often question the events that shape your day? Are you waiting on God’s answers? Are you eagerly anticipating how He will create beauty out of chaos… and basking in the blessings He gives you on a “good day?” Again I ask… “What are you waiting for?” How you answer makes all the difference.
©2013 Debbie Robus
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