06/01/2026
When God Keeps You Waiting
Genesis 15:4-6; Hebrews 10:35-36; Micah 7:7
Ours is an impatient culture. We complain when lines are long at the grocery store; we fume when we get stuck at a red light; and we eat fast food even though we know it's not good for us. We just can't seem to wait. So when God says, "Wait!" or doesn't respond immediately, we often struggle to cope. And if the wait is especially long, we may be tempted to give up—assuming God no longer cares about our situation. Worse yet, we may even try to "help" God fulfil His promises.
When God promised Abraham that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars, he readily believed. Scripture records that "he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness" (Gen 15:6, NKJV). Many years later, however, when Sarah his wife was well past the age of childbearing, Abraham's faith faltered. He agreed to her shortsighted plan to "help" God by taking her servant girl, Hagar, as a wife. The end result was disastrous—not just for Abraham and Sarah, but also for Hagar, who was dragged into their impatience, and for Ishmael, Abraham's rejected son by the servant girl.
Granted, it takes real faith, courage, and patience to wait on God's promises—especially in difficult circumstances. But as the writer of Hebrews reminds us: “Do not, therefore, fling away your [fearless] confidence, for it has a glorious and great reward. For you have need of patient endurance [to bear up under difficult circumstances without compromising], so that when you have carried out the will of God, you may receive and enjoy to the full what is promised” (Heb 10:35-36, Amplified).
It is good to wait on God—for however long it takes. As Micah testified, "Therefore I will look to the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation; My God will hear me" (Mic 7:7, NKJV). In our waiting, God is honored. After all, as C. S. Lewis reasoned, "I am sure that God keeps no one waiting unless He sees that it is good for him to wait."
Prayer: Jesus, I trust that you are working all things for my good—even when I must wait for Your promises to be fulfilled.
Copyright 2026 Anne Wilkins