Honor God by Waiting on His Timing

Honor God by Waiting on His Timing Devotional September 26, 2023

“Still I am certain to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait patiently for the LORD; be strong and courageous. Wait patiently for the LORD!” —Psalm 27:13-14

Waiting is one of the most difficult things in life. Yet, to be obedient, we must wait on God. Every day we choose to honor God through surrender and obedience. To live a strong life in Christ, we pray for God to reveal His will and plans. God’s ultimate goal is to give us eternal life. And none of us are ready to receive the reward, so in His loving mercy, God is waiting on us—He is waiting for us to embrace the spiritual journey of Sanctification—the transformation of our character into the likeness of Christ.

God’s Timing: “The smallest family will become a thousand people, and the tiniest group will become a mighty nation. At the right time, I, the LORD, will make it happen.” —Isaiah 60:22

The last part of Isaiah 60:22, “At the right time, I, the LORD, will make it happen.” is trending on social media as God’s promise to fulfill our dreams and goals in His timing. But as I listened to the reel, something did not feel right. God never promised to give us the things we desire unless they are perfectly aligned with His will and plans for us. So, I researched to find out the spiritual meaning of this verse.

David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical. The following is an excerpt from his article, The Lord Will Hasten the Day (Isaiah 60:22). The link to his article is included in this post.

Now, that verse is only rightly understood when you realize all that’s come before it, and 21 verses before that, because basically, what God, through Isaiah, gives his people is prophecy, a picture of their restoration. After exile, after experiencing the consequences of sin, he’s saying, “I’m going to bring you back to your land. You’re going to dwell in peace,” but it’s a picture not just of what was going to happen in Old Testament history. radical.net

It broadens to a picture of what God is going to do in ultimate history when he brings his people to himself for among all the nations to worship, and there’s peace and righteousness that reigns on the Earth. This is talking, ultimately, about a new Heaven and a new Earth, where God will dwell with his people in perfect harmony. radical.net

“I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?” —Luke 18:8

Reflection: Are spiritual transformation and eternal life in the New Heaven and New Earth our priorities?

“The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” —2 Peter 3:9-11

“But God isn’t subject to time. Because he created time, he operates outside of time…He uses time to test your faith and to build your character. While you’re working on your goal, God is working on you. And God’s much more interested in you than in what you’re trying to accomplish because you’re not taking your accomplishments to heaven. You’re only taking your character.” pastor rick

Truthfully, we rarely focus on our spiritual status. We assume that we are in the right standing with God. But John Bradshaw, President of It Is Written stated, “The biggest deception among today’s Christians is that we think we are ready to receive eternal life.”

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” —Jeremiah 29:11

Human effort is always required to receive God’s Divine Intervention and His blessings. Faith, humility, surrender, and obedience are the bundle of character traits that God requires for us to receive eternal life. We cannot change ourselves or possess these righteous traits without the Holy Spirit. We have a tough decision to make—pray and ask God to search our hearts and reveal all unrighteousness or continue to live according to our earthly agendas.

Honoring God requires the sacrifice of giving God our all. We pray daily for His will to be done. And we change our desires to align with His plan to change us into the likeness of Christ. Honor God by praying, obeying, and waiting on His timing.

Scripture: “The Lord your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.” —Zephaniah 3:17

Prayer: God, we confess that we are living to satisfy our desires. And for this sin against You, we ask for forgiveness. We ask You to cleanse us from all unrighteousness and fill us with the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. Because we love You, we will honor You by living obediently, righteously, and according to Your timing. In Jesus’ Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

© 2023 Steps 2 Success with Solutions and Woman, You Are Loved by God Ministries

Link: https://radical.net/podcasts/pray-the-word/the-lord-will-hasten-the-day-isaiah-6022