Waiting....

"Now the people of Judah approached Joshua at Gilgal, and Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him, 'You know what the Lord said to Moses the man of God at Kadesh Barnea about you and me. I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadesh Barnea to explore the land. And I brought him back a report according to my convictions, but my fellow Israelites who went up with me made the hearts of the people melt in fear. I, however, followed the Lord my God wholeheartedly. So on that day Moses swore to me, "The land on which your feet have walked will be your inheritance and that of your children forever, because you have followed the Lord my God wholeheartedly." 
'Now then, just as the Lord promised, he has kept me alive for forty-five years since the time he said this to Moses, while Israel moved about in the wilderness. So here I am today, eighty-five years old! I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out; I’m just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then. Now give me this hill country that the Lord promised me that day. You yourself heard then that the Anakites were there and their cities were large and fortified, but, the Lord helping me, I will drive them out just as he said.'
Then Joshua blessed Caleb son of Jephunneh and gave him Hebron as his inheritance. So Hebron has belonged to Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite ever since, because he followed the Lord, the God of Israel, wholeheartedly."
Joshua 14:6-14

This passage was part of my reading the other day, and I started thinking about the concept of waiting for the fulfillment of God's promises. The Bible is filled with people who waited long periods of time to receive the promises of God in their lives, and I think we can learn a few things from their stories.

Long before Caleb, there was Abraham. God promised to give Abraham and his wife Sarah a son in their old age. The problem was, God took too long to deliver on his promise. So these two decided to take matters into their own hands and "help" God. They used Sarah's maid Hagar as a surrogate, and Ishmael was born (Ishmael's descendants are the Arabs of today). When God finally gave Abraham and Sarah their own son, Isaac, Abraham was 100 years old. The promise was made when Abraham was around 85. So Abraham had to wait 15 years to receive his promise. During his waiting time, though, he and his wife made a mess of things, and we're still seeing the effects of it today.

Along came Joseph several generations later, the great-grandson of Abraham. As a teenager, God gave him dreams that indicated there would be a day when Joseph's family would bow before him. Joseph's brothers weren't all that impressed with these dreams, and sold him into slavery. Joseph ended up in Egypt, was falsely accused of something he didn't do, ended up in prison for many years, and through an astounding turn of events, became the second highest ruler in all of Egypt. When a world-wide famine struck, Joseph's family went to Egypt to buy food, and came face to face with their brother. Indeed, they bowed before him, just as his dreams had foretold decades earlier. Joseph was 17 years old when he had his dreams, and was around 32 years old when they were fulfilled. During those 15 years of waiting, Joseph conducted himself with integrity and industriousness, and was credited with saving not only all of Egypt, but Israel as well.

And then there was Caleb, who waited 45 years to receive the land that was promised as his inheritance. I find his declaration to be rather humbling. Rather than focusing on how long it had taken for him to finally get what was promised, he made it clear that God had preserved him during his long wait, not only in caring for his needs, but maintaining his stamina and vitality. I think Caleb was quite the spry octogenarian! There is no record of Caleb ever murmuring and complaining about his waiting. He just went about doing what needed to be done: persevering in the desert for 40 years and then fighting battles to route the Canaanites for another five years.

Centuries later, the prophet Samuel anointed a young man named David to be the king of Israel. The problem was, Israel already had a king - Saul. David had to wait more than 15 years before he could claim the throne when Saul and his sons were killed in battle. What did David do during his waiting years? He patiently and faithfully served the very king that he would one day replace, both as a court musician and as a fierce military leader.

There are many other stories in the Bible of people waiting for their promises to be fulfilled, but I think you get the picture. When God makes a promise, He keeps it. Our job while waiting for the promise to be fulfilled is to remain faithful and steadfast and continue to do what we know we're supposed to do. Whether you've been waiting 5 months or 5 years (or 45 years!), believe and trust that God will come through in His time. Be also assured that if you try to "help" God hurry along His promise, you will certainly accomplish two things: you will create a mess that God may or may not clean up, and you will most likely delay the realization of His promise.

What promise has God made to you that you have yet to see fulfilled? A new job or a career move? A spouse? A child? Financial stability? Restored health? A new ministry? Whatever it is, He is faithful and will bring it about. Don't lose hope and don't give up waiting. Keep plugging away at what you know and resist the temptation to hurry things along. The best is yet to come!

Have a blessed week!

Pastor David