Every person in this world waits and wants to receive something from God at some point in their lives. This is not something that started with us, it goes way back, as early as Adam, the first man to live on earth, who waited on God to form Eve, his suitable helper (Genesis 2:20-23). Throughout the Bible we have accounts of people who waited to obtain things, titles, positions, people, to whom we can relate and from whom we can learn.

The first lesson we learn from biblical stories of people who obtained what they waited for is that they had specific requests, in other words, they knew what they were waiting for. Job was waiting for his losses to be restored (Job 42:10). Hannah was waiting for a child (I Samuel 1:11), Samson was waiting for his strength to be renewed (Judges 16:28), and David was waiting for his sins to be forgiven (Psalm 51:1-2). God, our good and almighty Father invites us to ask Him everything. God is not a human who gets overwhelmed by our prayer requests, so never think that your prayers are burdensome to God. He delights in hearing from you and meeting your needs, because, as aforementioned, He is a good father!

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.’’

-Philippians 4:6-7

God promises that those who ask receive, those who seek find, and to those who knock it is opened (Matthew 7:7), but it also means that if we do not ask we might not receive, nor find, nor be opened. Therefore, ask yourself this question : What am I waiting for? What do I seek from the Lord? And come boldly and unashamed to your Father with your request. Just like in the story of king Solomon, who had offered a thousand burnt offerings to God. “On that night God appeared to Solomon, and said to him, “Ask! What shall I give you?” – II Chronicles 1:7 

Are you prepared to answer this question today?

The second lesson we learn from those who waited on the Lord is that what they waited for is something that had been promised to them by God. “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, who with his own hand has fulfilled what he promised with his own mouth to my father David.”

-I Kings 8:15

The Bible tells us that God is faithful, He does not let any of His words return to Him without having borne its fruit (Isaiah 55:11). Though everything may pass away, the word of God will never pass away (Matthew 24:35). Therefore, if there is one thing worth waiting for, it is God’s promise. Here are a few promises He made to people in the Bible that He upheld:

• He promised Abraham to give him a son and make Him the father of nations – check!
• He promised Noah to save him and his family from the flood- check!
• He promised to save us from our sins and give us eternal life- check!
• He promised to send us a helper who would be with us until the end- check!

God is a promise keeper, and the Bible is full of examples of promises He made to individuals, nations and even generations yet to be born, which He all fulfilled. To know what you are waiting for, take a look at His promises to you. Some, you will find in the Bible, others will be revealed to you directly by the Holy Spirit, one way or the other.

One last lesson we learn from biblical accounts of those who obtained what they waited for, is that they all had unwavering faith that they would get what they were waiting for. Not because they were entitled and thought they deserved it, not because they practice “positive thinking” or all these visualization techniques the world is proposing to us nowadays. No, they knew they would get what they were waiting for because of Him. 

“Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.”

 -Psalm 37:4

Do you see a red thread here? It seems like whatever we are waiting for we should ask Him. And whatever we are waiting for should be inspired/aligned with His promises. And whatever we are waiting for, we should have faith in Him to provide it for us. Could it be that the key hidden in these biblical accounts is to wait for someone instead of something? Let’s meet tomorrow and ask ourselves: Who am I waiting for?

Prayer: 

O Lord God of heaven, You know what is in my heart before I ask. I have come to surrender all to You as I lay down all of my concerns before You. I have no other expectation than You, Lord, and waiting too long may cause my heart to faint, so please, Lord, do not keep me waiting so long before You grant the desire of Your servant’s heart. Lord, in my sickness, glorify Yourself and heal me. When I pray, hear me, Lord. Make my words be few and effective, as the prayer of a righteous person avails much in Your sight. Teach me how to pray and just like Hannah, Samson, Job and David, whatever I am waiting on You for, help me to put my trust in You always. Amen.