USE YOUR TIME OF DELAY TO REFOCUS

“Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the Lord.”—Psalm 27:14

 

Are you currently waiting for the Lord to intervene in some way in your life, or in the life of a loved one?  One of the struggles we face as Christians is trying to understand sometimes there are delays over matters that seem so urgent to us. Only the Lord knows all of the reasons.  However, there are some lessons that we can learn from when Peter and John were arrested and put into jail. 

 

Peter and John were arrested and jailed because they preached in the name of Jesus, the resurrection from the dead, and people were being healed.  When they were brought up before the authorities they refused to compromise and would not cease to give their testimony.  They were threatened and released.  Peter and John returned to the people that they were with, and then began to worship and praise God.  The place was shaken where they were all gathered and they spoke the Word of God with boldness (Acts 4:1-31). 

 

The first lesson is: Determine Your Focus.  In the urgency of the moment, it is easy to center your attention on the need instead of on God.  Peter and John remained focused on their message, not on getting out of jail.  We may start out waiting for the Lord, but end up waiting for the answer we want.  Soon we become more interest in what God can do for us, rather than our focus remaining in Him.  Sometimes God delays until we get our focus back on Him.  He wants us to delight in Him; not in just what He can give to us.

 

Secondly, Release Your Expectations into His Hands.  Peter and John said, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. Fore we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:19-20).  The Lord is working on your behalf, but sometimes we cling so tightly to a desired outcome that He must wait until we open our hands and let go of our own expectations.  Holding onto your own assumptions about how the Lord should intervene is emotionally exhausting.  But peace awaits those who trust that He will do what is in our best interests in every situation that we encounter.

 

Prayer—Father I thank you that I keep my focus upon You and I release my desire into Your hands as I wait for the answer, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.