When You Find yourself weary from waiting
Does life feel out of control? In a volatile world filled with political, economic, and social uncertainty, how do you fight anxiety and fear? How do you live courageously and hold onto hope? These are all questions answered in this devotional that I found extremely encouraging. Below is day 3’s reading that I really wanted to share with you. Just remember as you go through your days, don’t give up on the promises of God, He hasn’t forgotten you, He’s preparing a way for you.
Lay Down Your Expectations
When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered themselves together to Aaron and said to him, “Up, make us gods who shall go before us.” – Exodus 32:1
400 years. That’s how long the Israelites waited for God to deliver them from slavery. But after they left Egypt, God didn’t take them directly to Canaan. Instead, they camped at the base of a mountain while God instructed Moses.
But after 40 days, the Israelites grew frustrated. Their delayed expectations led to poor decisions: they rejected God and pursued whatever pleased them.
If you’ve ever felt frustrated by an uncertain season that lasts longer than you anticipated, you’re not alone. We can become so focused on our disappointments that we forget God is still in control. That’s why it’s important to remember that your waiting is never wasted.
Even though the Israelites couldn’t see it at the time, God wasn’t withholding His promises from them—He was preparing them for it.
So, if you find yourself weary from waiting, do what the Israelites forgot to do: look for evidence of God’s presence, and look back on what He’s already done. God’s timeline may be different than yours, but His faithfulness doesn’t waver. Your waiting might be preparing you for the plans and purposes God has for you.
Reflection Questions:
What have you held onto that you know you need to surrender?
In what ways has God been faithful in your life?
What might God be trying to show you in your current season?
Accompanying bible verse
AMP version
Matthew 6:24-34
24 “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon [money, possessions, fame, status, or whatever is valued more than the Lord].
The Cure for Anxiety
25 “Therefore I tell you, stop being worried or anxious (perpetually uneasy, distracted) about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, as to what you will wear. Is life not more than food, and the body more than clothing?
26 Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow [seed] nor reap [the harvest] nor gather [the crops] into barns, and yet your heavenly Father keeps feeding them. Are you not worth much more than they?
27 And who of you by worrying can add one [a]hour to [the length of] his life?
28 And why are you worried about clothes? See how the lilies and wildflowers of the field grow; they do not labor nor do they spin [wool to make clothing],
29 yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory and splendor dressed himself like one of these.
30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive and green today and tomorrow is [cut and] thrown [as fuel] into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith!
31 Therefore do not worry or be anxious (perpetually uneasy, distracted), saying, ‘What are we going to eat?’ or ‘What are we going to drink?’ or ‘What are we going to wear?’
32 For the [pagan] Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; [but do not worry,] for your heavenly Father knows that you need them.
33 But first and most importantly seek (aim at, strive after) His kingdom and His righteousness [His way of doing and being right—the attitude and character of God], and all these things will be given to you also.
34 “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Exodus 32:1-4
1Now when the people saw that Moses delayed coming down from the mountain, they gathered together before Aaron and said to him, “Come, make us a [a]god who will go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.”
2 So Aaron replied to them, “Take off the gold rings that are in the ears of your wives, your sons and daughters, and bring them to me.”
3 So all the people took off the gold rings that were in their ears and brought them to Aaron.
4 And he took the gold from their hands, and fashioned it with an engraving tool and made it into a molten [b]calf; and they said, “This is your god, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt.”
Read day 5 of this devotional here
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