Secret #3: Wait on God’s Timing

Those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength.
–Isaiah 40:31

Theodore Geisel didn’t like kids much, but his literary alter ego, Dr. Seuss, had a way of connecting with children. In “Oh, the Places You’ll Go,” Dr. Seuss wrote about a boy who had many paths open to him. But no matter which path he chose, the boy would end up in the Waiting Place. According to Dr. Seuss, the Waiting Place is a dreary place. The Waiting Place is the last place you would want to be–unless you want to be used by God in an extraordinary way. As we will learn, the waiting place is a good destination during critical points in your life.

In Isaiah 40:29-31, the prophet described the waiting place as a good place: “[God] gives strength to the weary, and to him who lacks might He increases power. Though youths grow weary and tired, and vigorous young men stumble badly, yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary.”

The Old Testament prophet Elijah’s life reveals God’s seven secrets for success and significance. Elijah was an ordinary person, James 5:17 says, yet God used him in an extraordinary way. What are the secrets that lead to significance and success in life? Secret number one is discover your unique purpose in life. God has given you special gifts to tell His story to the world in a unique way. The key to fulfillment in life begins with discovering your unique gifts, abilities, and interests that God has planted in you. Secret number two for a significant life is determine to influence your world. God did not place you here to isolate yourself from the world or to identify with the world. He put you in this world to influence the world.

This week, we will look at the third secret for spiritual success and significance, which is wait on God’s timing. As you look through Scripture, you will discover that the men and women God used in an extraordinary way had to learn how to wait on God. Think about Noah: God called him to build the ark, yet Noah had to wait 120 years for the first drop of rain to fall. Or think about Abraham and Sarah: God promised to make them the parents of a great nation, but they had to wait more than two decades for the promised child, Isaac. Or consider Moses: God said He would use Moses to lead His people out of Egypt, yet Moses spent forty years on the backside of the desert waiting for his time to lead the exodus. Or think about the apostle Paul: Paul was the greatest evangelist and theologian in history, yet he had to spend three years in the Arabian desert preparing for the ministry God had for him.

Right now, you may be in the waiting place. That has always been God’s plan for those who have an extraordinary life. Great souls are grown through struggles, storms, and seasons of suffering.

***

Today’s devotion is excerpted from “Secret #3: Wait on God’s Timing” by Dr. Robert Jeffress, 2017.

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960,1962,1963,1968,1971,1972,1973,1975,1977,1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.