Happy Sabbath friends! Being in a waiting season can be so hard in the moment, but if we continue to trust in the Lord, we will be prosperous as it is promised in the Word of God that everything that comes from the Lord will be good.
“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”
James 1:17 NIV
“For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving,”
1 Timothy 4:4 NIV
Our human nature can be very impatient, especially in times of waiting. Especially in our current society, where everything is so fast-paced. It can be very hard to have patience in a world that runs on instant results.
The Lord saved the Israelites from captivity, but it was not immediate gratification and prosperity that they were blessed with…that came all in God’s perfect timing. The Lord promised the Israelites, and He promises us that waiting seasons are not wasted seasons, AND if we continue to hold onto the steadfast hope and love that God has to offer each of us, that we will be abundantly blessed in the end.
“This is the text of the letter that the prophet Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to the surviving elders among the exiles and to the priests, the prophets and all the other people Nebuchadnezzar had carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. (This was after King Jehoiachin and the queen mother, the court officials and the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the skilled workers and the artisans had gone into exile from Jerusalem.) He entrusted the letter to Elasah son of Shaphan and to Gemariah son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to King Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon. It said: This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” Yes, this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “Do not let the prophets and diviners among you deceive you. Do not listen to the dreams you encourage them to have. They are prophesying lies to you in my name. I have not sent them,” declares the Lord. This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.””
Jeremiah 29:1-14 NIV
There are going to be moments in our lives when we cannot foresee the future ahead of us, and those are the moments when we need to turn to God and allow Him to take the lead. In these moments, sometimes we may not receive instant answers, but those are the exact moment when we need to stay close with the Lord because Satan loves to take advantage of the unknown. Satan’s end goal is for us to not have a strong, if not, any relationship with the Lord. In moments when I am asking the Lord, “Lord, how long?”…”Lord, how long am I supposed to be in this season?”…”Lord, how long will it take until I receive answers?”…these are the moments when we need to stay close with our Heavenly Father so when it is time, He will bless us with the answers and directions we have been longing for.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”
Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV
God calls us to have patience, and to especially keep our faith fully rooted in Him even in moments when our patience is being tested. We need to trust and believe in the truth that God’s timing is perfect. If something is not happening for us right now, or we are in a season of the unknown and we do not know where God may be taking us, we can trust in the truth that God’s plans are bigger and better than we can ever imagine.
“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”
Galatians 6:9 NIV
“The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.”
Lamentations 3:25-26 NIV
“The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride.”
Ecclesiastes 7:8 NIV
I pray over all who may be reading this message that if you are facing moments in your life where your patience is being tested, you are in a season of the unknown, or something you have been asking God for has yet to arrive…I pray that you choose to stay close with the Lord despite the confusion, anger, etc., that you may feel in this time. Satan wants you to give in to negative feelings about God’s timing and His plan, but I am here to state that we need to hold on, even when it is hard, because God has something so so good for us in the end. Just like the Israelites…they were faced with moments of their patience being tested, seasons of the unknown, and even moments when they were asking God for answers and none were immediately given…despite all these things, God had a bigger plan for them that was 10x better than the captivity they were in for so long with the Egyptians. Even when it may be hard, I pray that you still choose our Heavenly Father and allow Him to lead you through this season of life you may be in.
“For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay.”
Habakkuk 2:3 NIV
“He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.”
Ecclesiastes 3:11 NIV
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
Jeremiah 29:11 NIV
Amen.
Saved By His Grace 
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