April 13th

Waiting on God
¹ And Elijah the Tishbite, of the inhabitants of Gilead, said to Ahab, "As the LORD God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word."  ²Then the word of the LORD came to him, saying, ³"Get away from here and turn eastward, and hide by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan. ⁴And it will be that you shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there."   ⁵So he went and did according to the word of the LORD, for he went and stayed by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan. ⁶The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening; and he drank from the brook. ⁷And it happened after a while that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land. ⁸ Then the word of the LORD came to him, saying, ⁹"Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. See, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you."  1 Kings 17:1-8 NKJV 

This story struck me as a powerful example of waiting on God.  God sent Elijah to the brook Cherith for protection, training and provision.  God provided for Elijah and sustained him, even when it looked like God’s plan might have been a dead end.  Imagine the thoughts that went through Elijah’s mind as he watched the brook slowly dry up each day.  Elijah faithfully stayed at the brook, even when it dried up completely.  Notice how God waited until after the brook dried up to give Elijah his next orders. Elijah was truly depending on God for his life and God came through for him.  

We can apply the principles in this story to just about any situation we are facing in life.  Human nature usually does not wait on God, but strives to fulfill its own needs.  It is encouraged by the world’s idea that if we don’t look out for ourselves, nobody will.  The truth is that if we surrender our lives to God, he will provide for us.  

If sex addiction is our struggle, we have the challenge of submitting our sexuality to God and being patient for his provision for us in this area.  Singles may have the biggest challenge of anyone to wait on God for sexual provision.  When the hormones are raging and opportunities to lust abound, it may take everything in us to restrain ourselves.  If we commit ourselves to waiting for God, even if it looks like nothing will change, he will come through for us.  

We must be careful to be flexible in our expectations.  What we envision as God’s provision may be different from what he gives us.  Elijah may have thought that the widow God was sending him to would be well stocked with food and water.  When he arrived, he found her gathering sticks for her last meal before death.   Though he may have been disappointed, he continued on in faith, and God blessed him and the widow abundantly.  We must trust God’s judgment,  thank him for whatever he gives us, and continue on in faith.  Consider the words of Lamentations 3:24-25 NKJV: "The LORD is my portion," says my soul, "Therefore I hope in Him!"  The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him.” 

Questions for further thought:

• What sin tendency in us is related to not wanting to wait on God? (1 John 2:15-16)
• How do lust and waiting on God directly oppose each other?
• How can masturbation make our challenge to wait for sex until marriage even greater? (see masturbation study)

Prayer:

“Heavenly Father, I put my trust in you today anew.  Please forgive me for the times in my life that I have not waited on you and indulged headlong into sin.  Please forgive me for any pride that I have harbored.  Thank you for the good plans that you have for me and the blessings that will come to me when I wait on you.  Please grow in me the fruit of self-control and strengthen my resolve to live for you.  Thank you, Father!  In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.”