TUESDAY 2 AUGUST - LEARNING TO WAIT EXPECTANTLY

Nehemiah 1:11 NLT

O Lord, please hear my prayer! Listen to the prayers of those of us who delight in honoring you. Please grant me success today by making the king favorable to me. Put it into his heart to be kind to me.” In those days I was the king’s cup-bearer.

Read Nehemiah 1:1-11. Do you ever wonder what’s going on in your life? Are you waiting for God to make something better and wondering why it seems to be getting worse? Are you unsure about a decision you need to make and wondering why God hasn’t given you the answer? Are you confused about a relationship and wondering what to do next?

Sometimes, we feel powerless and hopeless. When Nehemiah heard about the state of Jerusalem and its walls, he must have felt that way. He must have wondered what he could do to change the situation. Even more than that, he must have wondered why God hadn’t done anything about it!

But he wasn’t discouraged. Instead, he turned to prayer. For days, he mourned, fasted and prayed to God. As days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months, he must have wondered if God was ever going to answer him. He must have struggled to understand God’s silence.

But Nehemiah knew and trusted that God was in control. He knew better than Nehemiah what the best thing was to do. God had a plan. All Nehemiah had to do was to wait expectantly for him to reveal it.

If you learn to wait expectantly like Nehemiah, then one day he will honour your patience.

THINK IT OVER

Think about the following:

How has God honoured your patience in the past?