1.13.11

Isaiah 30:18

Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show you compassion. For the LORD is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!

Dear friend,

"Could you wait a minute please?

"Waiting.... What comes to mind when someone asks you to wait?

It's even more difficult as we are a part of a culture that says "you deserve it, so don't wait." Think about all the messages you receive each and every day on the internet, social media, radio, TV, etc. Stunning isn't it. The issue we have with waiting is that we always give up some control of our lives when we choose to wait. If you're like me the very thought of waiting takes too long! However, when we do decide to wait we relinquish our time, will, efforts and control in hopes of receiving what we are waiting for.

How is a person to read a Bible verse (like the one above) and apply it to our lives so we can see God's blessings and bring glory to Him? Why do you think God says that He blesses those who wait on Him?

Our answer is in the context of these verses. You see in Isaiah 30 the nation of Israel was looking everywhere else for protection and help EXCEPT for the one true God. They looked to possessions, Pharaoh, and false prophets to feel better about the situation and get a quick fix. When all He was asking them to do was come to Him. He blesses those who trust that He can deliver them. Do you trust God? Are you trusting and waiting on Him today? Let me encourage you.

My wife and I waited for over six years to start a family. Oh we tried and tried and tried every avenue to take it into our own hands. It was the end of year six and we decided to dig into Isaiah 30 together and pray for 40 days. On day 40 we cried out to God and we both independently heard "WAIT."

To make a long (yet miraculous) story short, this year we celebrated our first Christmas with our beautiful adopted baby girl! Her name is Isabella which means promise of God. She was worth the wait!

God says that He longs to be gracious to you. Take God at His word today and take this promise seriously.

ALL THOSE WHO WAIT ON HIM WILL BE BLESSED!

We want to pray for you and what you are waiting for. Send your prayer requests to prayer@forgivensinner.com and we will lift you up.

-Ty