Wait for the LORD; Be
strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the LORD. -
Psalm 27:14 (NASB)
It was Harold's favorite part of the
day, it was breakfast, well, any time Harold got to eat was his
favorite part of the day. As his family gathered around the table
for pancakes and bacon, Harold thought it would be a good time to
bring up his idea he got the night before about his birthday present
which he still hadn't got.
“Dad, mom,” Harold said right
after they prayed, “As you know, I still haven't got my birthday
present.” “I know.” said his dad, “And you're not getting a
pet skunk or a per rat.” “I think you made that clear,” Harold
continued, “What I want now is not a pet, it's something even
better. Dad, mom, I want a brother.”
With out thinking Martha said, “That's
a nice idea Harold.” and took a bite of pancake and almost choked
when she realized what Harold had just asked for. As for his dad,
Bill had a mouth full of hot coffee which went spraying in every
direction. “You want a What?” Bill shouted out trying to regain
his composure.
“Of course, I don't need him today.”
Harold calmly added. “That's good.” Martha coughed as she
continued to choke on her bite of pancake. “Because that's not
likely to happen any time soon.” Next week would be fine” Harold
continued. “What?” Bill injected when he heard that. “Well,”
Harold responded, “The way I have it figured we could go on the
internet and order one and we could have him by next week.”
When Stella heard Harold's plan she
started laughing hysterically. “You can't order a baby over the
internet.” she snorted. “And,” she continued, “There's no way
in the world that dad or mom would ever allow another boy in this
house.” “I didn't say I wanted a baby.” Harold calmly injected,
“I said I want a brother.”
What happened next landed Stella on
the floor. Instead of laughing she was moaning “No way!, No way!”
for to her surprise, her parents thought Harold might have a good
idea. “I don't think you can order a brother over the internet
though.” Bill had to say “But,” Martha continued, “We could
possibly adopt a boy from the orphanage.”
When he heard that, Harold jumped up
from the table and dashed to the door. “Let's go right now!” he
said excitedly. “Sit down and finish eating.” Bill said as he
calmly took a bit of pancake, “Or we won't go at all.” Without
hesitation, Harold sat down and finished his breakfast, and than,
just to want to do anything that would cause his dad and mom to
change their mind, he even cleared the table and washed all the
dishes. As for Stella, she just sat on the floor in shock.
The Philistines gathered to fight
Israel with three thousand chariots and six thousand men to ride in
them. Their soldiers were as many as the grains of sand on the
seashore. The Philistines went and camped at Micmash, which is east
of Beth Aven. When the Israelites saw that they were in trouble, they
went to hide in caves and bushes, among the rocks, and in pits and
wells. Some Hebrews even went across the Jordan River to the land of
Gad and Gilead. But Saul stayed at Gilgal, and all the men in his
army were shaking with fear. Saul waited seven days, because Samuel
had said he would meet him then. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal,
and the soldiers began to leave. So Saul said, “Bring me the whole
burnt offering and the fellowship offerings.“ Then Saul offered the
whole burnt offering. Just as he finished, Samuel arrived, and Saul
went to greet him.
1 Samuel 13:5-10 (NCV)
Do you like to wait? Do you like
things now? Harold did not want to wait to have a brother, he wanted
it next week. As a father, I have seven children and I had to wait
for each of them. As much as I wanted to be able to hold them, I had
to wait all of 41, 42, or even 43 weeks to be able to. I was not able
to hold them the week after I found out we were having one.
Likewise, Saul didn't want to wait
either. He was told to wait but when he didn't see Samuel right
away, he took matters into his own hand. He payed for it dearly.
There are many times in life when we
need to have patience and wait for what we want (or don't want).
James talks about this kind of waiting in reference to the Lord's
second coming by looking at a farmer. James 5:7 - Therefore be
patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for
the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it
gets the early and late rains. (NASB)
When it comes to waiting patiently
here are some verses to remember.
- Psalm 25:1-3 - To You, O LORD, I lift up my soul. O my God, in You I trust, Do not let me be ashamed; Do not let my enemies exult over me. Indeed, none of those who wait for You will be ashamed; Those who deal treacherously without cause will be ashamed. (NASB)
- Isaiah 40:31 - Yet those who wait for the LORD Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary. (NASB)
While we may not always agree with
God's timing and that we may have to wait for things, we can know
this:
- Ecclesiastes 3:11 - He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man's heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. (ESV)
- Ecclesiastes 8:6 - There is a right time and a right way for everything, yet people often have many troubles. (NCV)
Here's Something To Ponder
- Do you ever want things sooner than later?
- Do you patiently wait for what you want?
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