We often hear about waiting on God, which actually means that He is waiting until we are ready. There is another side, however. When we wait for God, we are waiting until He is ready.

Some people say, and many more believe, that as soon as we meet all His conditions, God will answer our prayer. They teach that He lives in an eternal now, that with Him there is no past or future, and that if we can fulfill all He requires to be obedient to His will, immediately our needs will be met, our desires satisfied, and our prayers answered.

While there is much truth in this belief, it expresses only one side of the truth. God does live in an eternal now, yet He works out His purposes over time. A petition presented to God is like a seed dropped into the ground. Forces above and beyond our control must work on it until the actual accomplishment of the answer.

The Still Small Voice

I longed to walk along an easier road, And leave behind the dull routine of home, Thinking in other fields to serve my God; But Jesus said, “My time has not yet come.”

I longed to sow the seed in other soil, To be unshackled in the work, and free, To join with other laborers in their toil; But Jesus said, “It’s not My choice for thee.”

I longed to leave the desert, and be led To work where souls were sunk in sin and shame, That I might win them; but the Master said, “I have not called you, publish here My name.”

I longed to fight the battles of my King, Lift high His standards in the thickest strife; But my great Captain had me wait and sing Songs of His conquests in my quiet life.

I longed to leave the hard and difficult sphere, Where all alone I seemed to stand and wait, To feel I had some human helper near, But Jesus had me guard one lonely gate.

I longed to leave the common daily toil, Where no one seemed to understand or care; But Jesus said, “I choose for you this soil, That you might raise for Me some blossoms rare.”

And now I have no longing but to do At home, or far away, His blessed will, To work amid the many or the few; Thus, “choosing not to choose,” my heart is still.

SELECTED

And Patience was willing to wait. PILGRIM’S PROGRESS

The greenest grass is found wherever the most rain falls. So I suppose it is the fog and mist of Ireland that makes it “the Emerald Isle.” And wherever you find the widespread fog of trouble and the mist of sorrow, you always find emerald green hearts that are full of the beautiful foliage of the comfort and love of God.

Dear Christian, do not say, “Where are all the swallows? They are all gone—they are dead.” No, they are not dead. They have simply skimmed across the deep, blue sea, flying to a faraway land; but they will be back again soon.

Child of God, do not say, “All the flowers are dead—the winter has killed them, so they are gone.” No! Although the winter has covered them with a white coat of snow, they will push up their heads again and will be alive very soon.

O believer, do not say that the sun has burned out, just because a cloud has hidden it. No, it is still there, planning a summer for you; for when it shines again, it will have caused those clouds to have dropped their April showers, each of them a mother to a sweet May flower.

Above all, remember—when God hides His face from you, do not say that He has forgotten you. He is simply waiting for a little while to make you love Him more. And once He comes, you will rejoice with the inexpressible “joy of the LORD” (Nehemiah 8:10). Waiting on Him exercises your gift of grace and tests your faith. Therefore continue to wait in hope, for although the promise may linger, it will never come too late. CHARLES H. SPURGEON

Oh, every year has its winter, And every year has its rain— But a day is always coming When the birds go north again.

When new leaves sprout in the forest, And grass springs green on the plain, And tulips boast their blossoms— And the birds go north again.

Oh, every heart has its sorrow, And every heart has its pain— But a day is always coming When the birds go north again.

It’s the sweetest thing to remember, If your courage starts to wane, When the cold, dark days are over— That the birds go north again.

In the captivating booklet Expectation Corner, one of the characters, Adam Slowman, was led into the Lord’s treasurehouse. Among the many wonders revealed to him there was the “Delayed Blessing Office,” where God stored the answers to certain prayers until it was wise to send them.

For some who pray expecting an answer, it takes a long time to learn that delays of answers are not denials. In fact, in the “Delayed Blessing Office,” there are deep secrets of love and wisdom that we have never imagined! We tend to want to pick our blessings from the tree while they are still green, yet God wants us to wait until they are fully ripe.

“The LORD longs to be gracious to you. . . . Blessed are all who wait for him!” (Isaiah 30:18). The Lord watches over us in all the difficult places, and He will not allow even one trial that is too much for us. He will use His refining fire to burn away our impurities and will then gloriously come to our rescue.

Do not grieve Him by doubting His love. Instead, lift up your eyes and begin praising Him right now for the deliverance that is on its way to you. Then you will be abundantly rewarded for the delay that has tried your faith.

O you of little faith, God has not failed you yet! When all looks dark and gloomy, You do so soon forget— Forget that He has led you, And gently cleared your way; On clouds has poured His sunshine, And turned your night to day.

And if He’s helped you to this point, He will not fail you now; How it must wound His loving heart To see your anxious brow! Oh! doubt not any longer, To Him commit your way, Whom in the past you trusted, And is just the same today.

We should not only understand the importance of our waiting on God but also realize something even more wonderful—the Lord waits on us. And the very thought of His waiting on us will give us renewed motivation and inspiration to “wait for him.” It will also provide inexpressible confidence that our waiting will never be in vain. Therefore, in the spirit of waiting on God, let us seek to discover exactly what it means right now.

The Lord has an inconceivably glorious purpose for each of His children. “If this is true,” you ask, “why is it that He continues to wait longer and longer to offer His grace and to provide the help I seek, even after I have come and waited on Him?” He does so because He is a wise gardener who “waits for the land to yield its valuable crop” and is [patient] . . . for the autumn and spring rains” (James 5:7). God knows He cannot gather the fruit until it is ripe, and He knows precisely when we are spiritually ready to receive blessings for our gain and His glory. And waiting in the sunshine of His love is what will ripen our soul for His blessings. Also, waiting under the clouds of trials is as important, for they will ultimately produce showers of blessings.

Rest assured that if God waits longer than we desire, it is simply to make the blessings doubly precious. Remember, He waited four thousand years, “but when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son” (Galatians 4:4). Our time is in His hands, and He will quickly avenge those He has chosen, swiftly coming to our support without ever delaying even one hour too long. ANDREW MURRAY

He giveth to all life, and breath, and all things.—The Lord is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.—Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them.

The same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.

I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.—Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress; so our eyes wait upon the Lord our God.

The Lord is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for him.—And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the Lord ; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.—If we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.

Lord , I have loved the habitation of thy house, and the place where thine honour dwelleth.—A day in thy courts is better than a thousand.

I had rather be a door-keeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.—Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causest to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts: we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even of thy holy temple.

The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.—Therefore will the Lord wait that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted that he may have mercy upon you: for the Lord is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for him.

Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us: . . . let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience.