Have you ever been in a season of waiting? A time when you’ve prayed and received a word from the Lord but haven’t seen the fruit of His answer yet. That in-between time can feel so long and drawn out. Even the most faithful can find themselves asking if the Lord somehow forgot His promise or question if He could have forgotten us.
I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from?
My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot slip — he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
The LORD watches over you — the LORD is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.
The LORD will keep you from all harm— he will watch over your life; the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.
Psalm 121:1-8 NIV
Not only has He not forgotten you, but He also hasn’t removed His eyes from you! Our God is the best promise keeper and it is impossible for Him to forget what He has promised you. So why the waiting?
There is something that grows within us when we are waiting for the Lord’s move. Our focus is more intently on Him. Our attention is on the Lord because we want to see His move – as it happens! Our conversations with Him are richer as we talk with Him about our heart’s desire – our prayer. And if we linger with Him long enough, we also find ourselves in a sweeter place of surrender. I don’t know about you, but this determined, equipped, called, strong-headed, Irish girl tends to resist surrender. The warrior part of my nature is more likely to rise up than to lay her shield down. So learning to raise my sword in prayer – learning to kneel in surrender to His will and timing – brings a sweet understanding that He is fully in control of His will, not me.
But for you who welcome him, in whom he dwells
even though you still experience all the limitations of sin —
you yourself experience life on God’s terms.
It stands to reason, doesn’t it, that if the alive-and-present God who raised Jesus from the dead moves into your life, he’ll do the same thing in you that he did in Jesus, bringing you alive to himself?
When God lives and breathes in you (and he does, as surely as he did in Jesus), you are delivered from that dead life.
With his Spirit living in you, your body will be as alive as Christ’s!
Romans 8:10-11 MSG
Holy Saturday is a reminder that even Jesus waited on the Father. Jesus did not raise Himself from the dead. The Father did. Which means Jesus Himself laid His life before the Father and surrendered to the Father’s will and perfect timing. Our hope as Christ-followers is to know that the same God who raised Jesus from the dead will do the same for us. He hasn’t forgotten. He hasn’t changed His mind. He isn’t delaying without purpose. As we tuck our lives into the life of Jesus, our hope increases. As our hope increases, our faith is spurred on. As our faith is spurred on, our joy splashes on those around us. And as our joy is splashed out, others are drawn to the love of Jesus.
What a beautiful invitation from the Father to wait on Him for His move and His answer! He is inviting us into the participation of His holy and miraculous work! He wants us with Him through this process. Not to do, but to be. To be loved. To be refreshed. To be filled. To know beyond a shadow of a doubt that
You are adored.
You Are Adored 