“God, what is taking you so long? Do you even hear my prayers?” This is a question I’ve asked many times. As I’m sure everyone at some point on their Christian walk has asked God. There are times when God will put a dream or desire in our hearts and then turn around and give it to us instantly. Other times, (more times than not) he gives us these desires, and then…. Radio silence. He makes us WAIT. Which, if you’re like me, you HATE doing! But I read something recently that really made me change my thought process for when I’m in the “waiting period”.

 

What I read said, “During our times of waiting, God is preparing us for his promise.” In 1 Samuel the 16th chapter, God came to Samuel (the prophet at the time) and told him, “How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? fill thine horn with oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite: for I have provided me a king among his sons.”

 

Samuel didn’t really want to go because he was worried about being killed if Saul found out. But Samuel went and did what God told him to do anyways, and we all know how the rest of the story went. Samuel looked at all of Jesses’ sons until God told him which one would be anointed as the future King. You would think that at that moment David would have been anointed then and there and placed on the throne that same day. That’s not how it went, David actually just went back to tending to his sheep. But why? Because God was preparing him.

 

God wanted to take David through a process, and the anointing was a reminder of the promise that would come from the process. God knew that some things needed to happen in David’s life BEFORE he could be king. Just like our lives, there are things the Lord needs to take us through BEFORE we can step into what he has called us and promised us to.

 

God wants us to be the very best that we can be, and sometimes that takes going through a process. It takes waiting, and the word no one likes to hear… PATIENCE. So let your hearts be comforted, that God is preparing you right now. He is preparing you for the promises he has given you and ALL the desires he has placed within your hearts!