Waiting for Answers
“Come back to the place of safety, all you prisoners who still have hope!
I promise this very day that I will repay two blessings for each of your troubles” (Zech. 9:12 NLT).
God is a god who plans well. He’s a good steward of the gifts He has for us. As our father who sees our entire life span at a glance, He doesn’t give us all our presents at once! As a fun way of thinking about this, He knows you are going to have umpteen Christmas’s over your lifetime. (Crazy to realize that He already knows how many years you will live!) He knows the perfect gift at the perfect time. He knows exactly what you need and desire, even better than you know yourself.
The most difficult challenge comes when we ask God for an answer, but the answer comes in a much different form than what we expected. Bob and I have had seasons in our life when we are in need of big breakthrough. The perfect time for an all-out massive miracle! We are believing God for an Oak Tree Miracle, and we are given an acorn. Whaaaaat?
It’s in times like these that we have to learn the art of staying encouraged throughout the process. It’s these times of waiting, where we know that things will be different around the corner, but in the meantime we will stay strong in our hearts and persevere in faith. You’ve probably heard the expression that fruit grows in the valleys. It’s during these seasons that our character is tested and stamina is fortified. We have to trust God that He knows something we don’t. Maybe if He were to give us that Oak Tree in our present condition, it would destroy us.
God’s timing is perfect so that his blessings don’t kill us. And the best news is, because of the restoring nature of God, for example when Job lost everything, when God restored him, he restored it to twice than what he had before. Another example is when the temple of Solomon was destroyed, it was rebuilt to twice the size of its previous specs. The concept of restoration in scripture is so profound, we can even dare to get encouraged when you suffer loss, knowing that God’s redemption is so powerful.
Maybe you have been waiting for an answer to prayer. When you are waiting, as followers of Jesus, it’s time to rejoice! There is a biblical way of thinking that doesn’t cower when there’s a challenge or problem, but instead realizes – here’s an opportunity to get double of what I had before! Maybe you need to stop in the middle of your conflict, and say, wait a minute, I belong to the Lord! This works differently than what I have been accustomed to. This is something that the enemy meant it for evil, but the Lord reverses it and it will be redeemed for good! This is different for me!
Today is my day to say, “Wait a minute, I belong to the Lord, I am not outside of His thoughts, I’m not outside of His will, I’m not outside of His purposes, He has made it to where when I suffer loss, I am positioned to receive twice what I lost! That’s what hope does. Hope reinterprets my circumstance.
We love you!
Happy Miracle Monday!
Audrey