Hebrews 6:10-12 (NKJV): For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister. And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
If you are having a sense of dissatisfaction or restlessness due to things stagnating in some areas of your life, know that He hasn't forgotten you! So, take heart. And while you are waiting for your breakthrough, Galatians 6:9 says, 'And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart'.
People of God, this is a time to keep looking to Him, and keep doing what the Lord had spoken for you to do currently! In due season, you shall surely reap, if you do not lose heart!
Hebrews 6:13-15 then continues with how God made a promise to Abraham, and after he (Abraham) had patiently endured, he eventually obtained the promise.
In Habakkuk 2:2-3, the Lord says, "Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time; But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; because it will surely come..."
It is interesting to notice right after Habakkuk 2:2-3, the Lord says further in Habakkuk 2:4, "Behold the proud, his soul is not upright in him; But the just shall live by his faith." This verse contrasts the 'proud' (i.e. those who take matters into their own hands, instead of trusting in God's timing), and the 'just' (i.e. those who live by faith and patiently wait for the Lord).
The Bible says, 'So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God' (Romans 10:17). In other words, to live by faith is to keep hearing (and heeding) what the Lord says (through the Word), and not what man says (through their opinions)!
A.W. Tozer, a man of God, used to write, 'The reason why many are still troubled, still seeking, still making little forward progress is because they haven't yet come to the end of themselves. We're still trying to give orders, and interfering with God's work within us'.
How true!
In this era of 'quick fixes', we can see many of God's people 'jumping the gun' because they can't wait to see the results they want (whether in ministry, in business, in career, etc). And they would begin to act on their own accord, instead of waiting for the Lord's timing and 'go ahead'! As a consequence, many find themselves having to 'back-pedal' soon after!
Proverbs 14:29 says, 'Whatever is patient has great understanding, but one who is quick-tempered (impulsive) displays folly'. And Psalm 37:7 says, 'Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for Him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes'.
As you can see here, patience has its virtue!
Let us learn from Moses, whom the Lord had called to be a deliverer of the Israelites from the bondage of the Pharaoh. Having gone out to his brethren and looked at their burdens, he took matters into his own hands and killed an Egyptian (Exodus 2:11-12). Upon hearing this, the Pharaoh sought to kill him, and Moses had to flee (Exodus 2:15). He ended up in the desert of Midian, and stayed there for forty years (Acts 7:30).
Forty years in the desert of Midian, when nothing seemed to be happening! It was as though the Lord had forgotten Moses! But the truth is, throughout those forty years, the Lord was indeed busy working behind the scene in Moses' life! It wasn't until he came to the end of himself that the Lord began to speak to him from the burning bush (Exodus 3:2-4). There was no looking back since then. Moses went on to fulfill his God-given destiny as a deliverer of the Israelites!
Let us look at David now, whom the Lord had destined for him to be the new king reigning over Judah and Israel. Having been anointed by the prophet Samuel at the tender age of fifteen, it wasn't until fifteen years later that David finally became the king over Judah; and another seven years and six months later, when he became king over all Israel and Judah (2 Samuel 5:1-5).
Through those 'waiting' years, the Lord was also busy working behind the scene in David's life! You see, preparation time is never a wasted time, though nothing promising seems to be happening during that time! Through those years, David had to escape several times from Saul who sought to kill him. But in the end, what the Lord had spoken eventually came to pass. There was no looking back since then. David went on to become the greatest king in the entire history of Israel!
I heard and released these words from the Lord recently:
"Though some things may seem monotonous and dead at the moment, know that I am in the midst of working behind the scene in your lives. Let Me do My part, and you will begin to see some good surprises. Though some things may seem to tarry for now, it is worth the wait. By faith and by patience, you will inherit the promises."
Receive by faith. In Jesus' name. Amen.
