Devotional 10 - Patience

            Who of us has to wait for something, maybe you are waiting to meet your future spouse, for a promotion, for healing, for direction, and many more. We all have had periods in our life where we wait for God to give us the answers. Can you imagine waiting about 400 years like the Israelites did to get out of Egypt? Then they ended up having to wait another 40 years to get to the promise land. How about Jesus, he had to wait 30 years before his ministry got started. I bet each of you has a story of waiting.

            When I was in college I had everything planned out. I was going to be a nurse and work overseas. I knew exactly what I wanted to do. When I changed schools in between my sophomore and junior year there were some unexpected bumps in the road to nursing school. I was still on track, but it was going to take longer. About two months before graduation I received the most disappointing letter. I didn’t get into the nursing school. All my plans and my waiting seemed pointless. I was broken hearted. In many ways I was prepared for some kind of surprise because God had warned me something was coming. So I wasn’t sure what the next step was, but God was just around the corner to surprise me. A dear friend was visiting me soon after this disappointment and introduced me to her best friend’s parents who were missionaries to Thailand. At that meeting they offered me a position in Bangkok to help work for a missionary there. That was it. I wanted to go back overseas so badly, but I thought I had to be a nurse to do it. God had other plans he was working out during my waiting.

            Thailand taught me many lessons that I could never of learned in school. During that time God gave me a vision of people including myself waiting in a “waiting room.” for their future spouse. God showed me that in those times of waiting we should spend it in God’s Throne room instead of a waiting room. He wants us worshiping him during these rough times of unanswered prayers. Whatever you are waiting for, remember this verse, Romans 12:12 NIV “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer,” and continue to worship God through it all!