I don't like to wait, do you? I don't like to wait in line at the grocery store. I don't like to wait in line at the post office. Heck, I don't even like to wait for a webpage to load on my computer anymore.
Living in America, in our "microwave society," doesn't help either. We can pretty much get anything we want, when we want it. We can run over to our local, open 24/7 supercenter in the middle of the night if we need something. Or, we can jump online at any hour, make a purchase, and get overnight shipping. If we lived 400 years in the future, in the land of Star Trek, we could replicate anything we need. How awesome would that be? And, of course, it would be free because there's no such thing as money in the Star Trek universe!
Sometimes, it pays to wait
Last week, I was given a reminder that sometimes it pays to wait. A few months ago, I made a major purchase of a want. I even waited several months before this to make the purchase. I saved my money, had patience, and bought a slightly used model of my desired want.
And then a few weeks ago, I entered an online contest for this exact same item. It was a really easy entry - I think all I needed to do was a re-tweet of the contest on Twitter. It was so easy, in fact, that I had completely forgotten about entering. Then suddenly, last week, I received a Twitter direct message from the company that was holding the contest saying I was a winner! I didn't believe the message at first. I thought it was a spam message. I never win anything, and I've entered my share of contests in the past. So, I replied to the message with my mailing address, and in a few short days I received my prize.
Was this a coincidence? Was this just freak, accidental chance? Did I manifest said desire? Perhaps. But, in the book Finding the Will of God: a pagan notion?
, author Bruce K. Waltke addresses such a situation in this way,There is an element to life that we do not control, called "providence," and that too is God's will. Webster's Dictionary defines providence as the benevolent guidance of God. He is at work in the circumstances of our lives, in both small ways and large. Sometimes we refer to it as "chance," because that is sometimes the way His providence appears to us (p. 121).For me, I took winning this item as a gentle reminder from the Lord that He can and will give us certain "wants" on His timetable. What we need to learn in the process is patience. The good news is that I now have an opportunity to turnaround and bless someone else as a result of owning this additional blessing from the Lord.
"Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!" (Matthew 7:9-11).Also check out these related posts:
Larry, thanks for sharing your story. Waiting on God is definitely a challenge for me. I tend to operate by my own plan when I should seek His will first. And just asking him to provide first before trying to take action into my own hands!
ReplyDeleteHey, Jason. Thanks for leaving a comment! Yes, I agree. I also have a tendency to plan everything out and then tag God on at the end when we really should reverse the process. Seek His will through the Word and prayer and then move forward in obedience to His will as outlined in Scripture. Sometimes, His will is easier to discern than other times. The good news is that even when we mess things up, He still loves us no matter what, and I'm grateful for His grace and mercy!
ReplyDeleteLarry I learned several years ago, when I was expecting my son, to simply talk to God about my needs and my wants and allow him to direct my path. He has never failed me yet. As long as I continue to give him glory, serve him, live for him and delight myself in HIM, surely he gives me the desires of my heart. I praise him for his awesomeness to me and how over the years he has continued to show himself faithful to me for being patient, trusting him to meet my wants and needs when I need them. He is a awesome GOD!!!! Elnader Hale
ReplyDeletePreach it, Elnader! Great word. Thanks for leaving me a comment.
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