“But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.” – Isaiah 40:31, NKJV
God is a repeat promise-maker. Just take a look in the Bible for evidence. In Deuteronomy 31:8, God promises His everlasting presence. Another well-known promise is Jeremiah 29:11. God promises good plans for our lives. God also makes personal promises. He promised to give Hannah a child (1 Samuel 1:15-20), deliver Rahab from destruction (Joshua 2), and bring fame to the woman who anointed Him (Matthew 26:6-13).
Excitement runs high when we anticipate the manifestation of God’s promise. We fantasize about the details. What will the promise look like? How will it happen? And, most importantly, when? We often underestimate the amount of time it takes to fulfill a promise. Years can pass before we receive it. If our faith is not firmly rooted in Christ, fear can easily tempt us to try to fulfill the promise through our works.
God always keeps His promise. His job is to bring the promise to pass at the appropriate time. When we try to “make it happen,” we end up with a counterfeit of the promise. Examples include:
- Utilizing new-age practices for healing.
- Marrying a man you believe you can fix.
- Going into a massive amount of debt to start a business.
Like any counterfeit, our efforts to fulfill the promise only provide temporary pleasure. After a certain point, they fail, leading to embarrassment and unnecessary suffering. We must surrender our fantasies to God and submit to His will daily.
God purposely has us wait for the promise. He is not in the business of giving us something we are unprepared to handle. God uses the wait to enlarge our capacity for the promise. He refines our character, builds our endurance, teaches us new skills, and more. God will make you an employee before becoming an employer. He will cultivate the fruit of the Spirit within you before sending you down the aisle. He will make your faith unshakable before He releases healing.
Do not obsess over the promise. Instead, worship the One who gave it to you. As you wait, ask Jesus what He desires from you. Whether we realize it or not, God still has assignments that He needs us to complete as we wait. Work diligently on God’s work. Then, at the right time, God will fulfill His promise!
Romans 10:17 states, “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” If you struggle to believe that God even makes promises to His children, click here for a list of scriptures about God’s promises.
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wow that was good really good makes so much sense I love that quote
“when we try to make it happen we end up with counterfeit of God’s praise” thank you
Thank you! I’m glad this post resonated with you. 💗