Waiting on God

I admit it – I want instant gratification to all of my prayers, but God sometimes says “wait” along with “yes”. What do we learn from this test of faith and strength? God is speaking to me a lot lately about finding Him in anticipation of seeing prayers fulfilled and learning to trust in His timing, especially when I don’t understand. After all, new wine takes time.

My Story of Waiting

I’m currently waiting for God to completely heal my body following an accident that occurred over the Summer. A few months back, I breathed in sawdust from a piece of an old bald cypress tree while working on an anniversary craft project for my husband. The journey back to health has been long and scary at times, and it’s a constant reminder to look to Jesus as my healer and the source of my strength.

When I started feeling ill, I petitioned God to move quickly with restoration, but He did not sway His decision. In this situation, His “yes” to healing required slow degrees of improvement. At first, I complained. I mean, who doesn’t want the quick-and-easy-fix? However, He knows what outcome is best for my benefit and His glory. God sometimes allows us to walk through our hardships to experience deeper trust, faith, and intimacy with Him.

Lessons learned

I learned many things through this trial:

• Psalm 62:5 – God is the sovereign shepherd who protects me. No matter the circumstance, I can find peace and rest in Him.
• 1 Thessalonians 5:18 – Be thankful in every season of life because each day is a gift. Praise Him in all things.
• Luke 12:7 – When fear tries to steal my joy, remember the source of hope. Why should I be afraid if He knows my story from beginning to end and can count each hair upon my head?
• Isaiah 60:22 – His timing is not my timing. Trust Him.

New Wine

We grow through life’s tests and trials. Consider your testing process like making wine from grapes. During the process of making new wine, the winemaker crushes and presses the fruit (i.e. the spiritual test or trial). The actions of breaking and separating the grapes create juice. Spiritually speaking, the “juice” equals an outpouring of the Holy Spirit and a deeper relationship with the Lord.

If you are going through a time of “crushing”, do not allow the trials to cause you to miss what God is doing. Instead, rejoice! He is with you and remembers your cries. He is making new wine.