Gray Foshee
A Society of Instant Gratification
Speed date. Eat fast food. Use the self-checkout lines in grocery stores. “One weekend” diet. Pay extra for overnight shipping. Honk when the light turns green. Speak in half sentences. Start things but don’t finish them.
Impatient Nation
We become impatient when the drive-thru at McDonalds takes longer than 2 minutes. What about when we go to get gas and we have to wait in line behind someone. God forbid! Or if we are in a check-out at the grocery store and someone gets in front of us and has 15 items in the 10 and under “Speedy” check-out line. Or my weakness, waiting for longer than 20 minutes at a restaurant. We are impatient.
Results of Being an Impatient People
In 2004, a report in the Journal of Biosocial Science linked a rise in American impatience with an increase in obesity. Studies found that as Americans spent more of their income, and saved less, they also gained weight. They also stated that these same people were more stressed. Being impatient isn’t a characteristic but instead a behavior.
Examples of not Waiting on God
Abraham & Sarah- First the Promise: Years and years went by while Abraham waited on the promise of God to be fulfilled through him according to Genesis 13:16 “I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth, so that if one can count the dust of the earth, your offspring also can be counted”.
Second, The Impatience- Genesis 16:2 And Sarai said to Abram, “Behold now, the Lord has prevented me from bearing children. Go in to my servant; it may be that I shall obtain children by her.” And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai.
King Saul- The Promise: I Samuel 10:1 tells us that Samuel anointed Saul to be king over Israel. Samuel instructs Saul in verse 8, “Then go down before me to Gilgal. And behold, I am coming down to you to offer burnt offerings and to sacrifice peace offerings. Seven days you shall wait, until I come to you and show you what you shall do.”
The Impatience- I Samuel 13:8-12 He waited seven days, the time appointed by Samuel. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and the people were scattering from him. 9 So Saul said, “Bring the burnt offering here to me, and the peace offerings.” And he offered the burnt offering. 10 As soon as he had finished offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came. And Saul went out to meet him and greet him. 11 Samuel said, “What have you done?” And Saul said, “When I saw that the people were scattering from me, and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines had mustered at Michmash, 12 I said, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the favor of the Lord.’ So I forced myself, and offered the burnt offering.”
Consequences of Not Waiting on God
Abraham & Sarah- Ishmael was born. God was bound by His word to bless Abraham’s seed but in doing so Ishmael has been thought by many bible scholars to be the start of the Arab nation and one of Israel’s greatest enemies today.
King Saul- Samuel told him in verse 13 that he acted foolishly because he did not wait and thus his kingdom would be taken away from him.
Examples & Rewards of Waiting on God
Joseph- Many times he could have taken matters into his own hands but instead he waited on God at every turn and then became the second most powerful man in the known world.
Joshua- Sent out as a spy and because of the majority of the spies report and suggestions had to wait over forty years to experience the promise of God. But he waited for Him.
Jesus- Was promised to establish a kingdom but that kingdom didn’t come about like everyone hoped and thought. But because Jesus chose not to take matters into his own hands and endured a brutal beating, death on the cross and buried, he resurrected so that we can live free from sin and captivity.
Conclusion
Many of us have been praying for years and years and waiting for the promise of God. Some of these prayers were petitions for a spouse, others were to change the one He gave you. I am here to encourage you today that your waiting on God has not gone unnoticed. God still fulfilled His promise to Abraham even after his failure of taking matters into his own hands. If God did that for him, He can surely do it for you. It might not look like we think it should. He may work in us before He begins to work in our spouse. What we think is a delay is really God’s perfect timing. Put your trust in Him and He will lead you down a path to the promises He has for you and your marriage.
