Joshua 3:1(KJV) And Joshua rose early in the morning; and they removed from Shittim, and came to Jordan, he and all the children of Israel, and lodged there before they passed over.
Before Israel could enter the Promised land, they had to lodge. They had to wait. Before we enter the promises of God, we will have to lodge. Lodge in prayer and faith.
Waiting on God’s timing is hard. It’s in the waiting that our faith is forged in the fires of trials. In the waiting, we discover that God’s in charge and we’re nothing on our own.
Psalm 40:1-3(ESV) I waited patiently for the LORD; he inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the LORD.
James 5:7-11(MSG) “Meanwhile, friends, wait patiently for the Master’s Arrival. You see farmers do this all the time, waiting for their valuable crops to mature, patiently letting the rain do its slow but sure work. Be patient like that. Stay steady and strong. The Master could arrive at any time. Friends, don’t complain about each other. A far greater complaint could be lodged against you, you know. The Judge is standing just around the corner. Take the old prophets as your mentors. They put up with anything, went through everything, and never once quit, all the time honoring God. What a gift life is to those who stay the course! You’ve heard, of course, of Job’s staying power, and you know how God brought it all together for him at the end. That’s because God cares, cares right down to the last detail.
Lamentations 3:25-27(MSG) GOD proves to be good to the man who passionately waits, to the woman who diligently seeks. It’s a good thing to quietly hope, quietly hope for help from GOD. It’s a good thing when you’re young to stick it out through the hard times.
The Bible with all its various stories, has examples where people waited for good things following a bad event. And no matter what form it took, the good thing was always a blessing from God.
Sarah waited for a child. Job waited for restoration. Joseph waited in prison. The Israelites waited to find the Promised Land. There was a lot of waiting for believers then, and the same is true now. While one suffers, waiting does not feel like a good thing, but God does promise a good outcome.
Waiting is a good thing, but waiting is never easy. With the stories of waiting in the Bible came plenty of anguish before God’s promised deliverance. Yet, we know that through these stories, God always comes through for His people. This means that God will also come through for us. James says: Good things come to those who wait.