How To Know When God Wants You To Wait On Him To Fulfill His Promise.

Last week after talking about Mind reset, there was a section I talked about how Moses was rejected by the Israelites because he was operating outside God’s timing. And this got me thinking. How many times have we gone ahead of God? And how can we tell when He wants us to exercise patience. And so on today’s blog I want us to understand what to do when God wants you to wait on Him to fulfill His promise. Of course there are times when God expects you to partner with Him to bring it to pass by acting on it. There are times however when He will ask you to be still. How can you differentiate between the two?

Why does God give us the promise if He knows there will be a delay?

I am convinced that God gives us the promise because He knows that we will encounter storms along the way that will make us question the validity of the promise. He knows the contradictions we will encounter and the trials that will come. Therefore He will give a promise so you and I can have something to hold on to as we wait on Him.

You see in Mark 4:35- 41, Jesus told the disciples that He wanted them to cross over to the other side. However, they encountered a storm that made the promise look impossible. In fact the storm was so bad that they woke Him up and asked Him to save them. Jesus however could not understand why they allowed the storm to scare them. This was because He had hoped that they would anchor on the promise He had given them that they would get to the other side.

Jesus knew that they would encounter a storm and so He gave them a word to remind them that this storm was just a distraction. And that is what Jesus does even today. Since He knows the beginning from the end, He will bring a word to help you hold on in the midst of the storm. His word is a sure bet and He wants you to remember that.

Signs to look out for when God wants you to wait on Him to wait on Him to Fulfill His promise to you.

• When you are going ahead of God, you will encounter a lack of peace as you bring the promise to pass. God will never leave you without a witness. When you find yourself lacking peace anytime you try to do something, this is God warning you that you are outside His timing.

• The second sign is warfare. When you are outside God’s timing, you will encounter unnecessary warfare. You see, Moses did not need to encounter the rejection he experienced. He was rejected by the same people God had called him to deliver. And this was because he was outside of God’s timing. There is no denying that God ordained Moses for the role since childbirth. Moses was raised in the palace. Meaning that he was equipped and trained for leadership. But the same people God wanted him to deliver rejected him. This caused him to run away to Midian as a fugitive. If you find yourself encountering warfare, maybe that is a sign that God wants you to retreat.

• If your reasons for acting on the word are governed by fear and control, then that is a call to retreat. Are you trying to help God because you are concerned that He will not bring the word to pass. Could past disappointment be the reason you are going ahead of God? Maybe you are worried that God will give you something that you don’t like. Is this the case? I want you to ask yourself this question. What is the real reason you are acting on the promise? Are you doubting God or are you truly operating in faith? What is leading you? Fear or faith?

These signs will help you decipher whether God is asking you to pursue or retreat.

Why Does God makes us wait?

To Prepare you

The first reason is to prepare you. God is so wonderful that He would not want to bring you your promise until you are ready. And maybe the reason He even told you about it is so you can prepare and become before He fulfills His promise. Him telling you about the promise is not a sign that you should act on it. Allow Him to prepare you in this season. There are promises you cannot receive until you become. Think about a leader for second.

Can you imagine how detrimental power can be to someone who is not trained for it? How many times have we heard of people who messed their loves because they were elevated before they were prepared? At the end of the day, God greatest desire is longevity. He does not want you to have fleeting success. His desire is for you to move from glory to glory. This is why He will take you through seasons of waiting. God wants you to wait on Him to fulfill His promise. And the reason He wants you to wait is so that He can prepare you. He is a good Father after all. The Bible reminds us that God is not slow in keeping His promise. Rather He delays because He does not want any to perish.

To avoid overwhelming you.

Sometimes the magnitude of the promise could be huge. And because God does not want the pressures of the promise to overwhelm you, He will make you wait. Maybe God wants to teach you how to respond when things become too much for you. He could also want you to learn how to steward the blessing when it actually comes. Or He could want you to learn how not to cower when oppression come. At the end of the day even the promise is a responsibility and you will need to learn how to steward it.

When the Israelites got to their promised land, it was easy for them to confront the opposition and actually possess their promise because they had encountered so much along the way. And so they recognized that they had to go through this. The waiting season also prepares you by shifting your perspective.. Think about how easy it would be not to allow people’s opinions to define you once you have gone through a season where you encountered people’s mockery and ridicule.

To test your character

In Psalm 105:19, the Bible reminds us that until it was time for God to fulfill the promise He made to Joseph, He tested his character. Before God can give you a platform He will test your patience and humility. God wants to reveal to you all the flaws in your character so He can help you address them. Joseph’s character was tested when he was in Potiphar’s house. He did not allow momentary pleasure deter him from God’s purpose for him. In prison God also tested him. This time God wanted him to know if he could be there for other people in the midst of his own misery. And he passed that two tests. And because of that God elevated him when it was time.

A destined delay

Back to the story of Joseph, we see that although he had asked the butler to remember him. It wasn’t until 2 years had lapsed that the butler remembered him and mentioned him to Pharaoh. It is also interesting to note that the butler only remembered him two years later because that was the time that God had set for the fulfillment of God’s promise. In Habakkuk 2, the Bible tells us that the promise is yet for an appointed time. And when the time is right it will come to pass. The same is reiterated in Isaiah 60:22, when the time is right the Lord will make it happen.

Sometimes the delay is God’s will because the time for its manifestation is yet to come, Therefore, today I want to encourage you to wait on God. When God wants you to wait on Him to fulfill His promise, there is a valid reason. And if a destined delay is the reason, there is nothing you can do to hasten the process. The only thing you can do is wait on Him.

• MOMENT TO MOMENT ENCOUNTERS WITH GOD
• ENCOUNTERING JESUS AT THE WELL
• HOW TO OVERCOME REJECTION THE RIGHT WAY.
• HOW TO EXPERIENCE JESUS IN THE STORM
• REJECTION IS GOD’S REDIRECTION. (HOW TO KNOW)

How to position yourself when God wants you to wait on Him to fulfill His promise.

Repent

I know this one sounds odd. But the reason I am saying that the first thing you and i need to do is to repent is because. When we try to control the timing and move ahead of God, we technically portray a lack of trust in Him. And sometimes it might be that we actually do not trust His ability to bring the said promise to pass. Therefore, you and i repenting is important. Today I invite you to ask God for forgiveness for your lack of doubt and distrust. Turn your heart from unbelief and ask Him to help you learn to trust Him.

The Bible reminds us that when we repent, He is faithful and just to forgive us. God will not hold it against you or I because He knows that we are human and prone to error. But in order for you and I to receive His forgiveness we need to take the first step and that is asking for His forgiveness.

Ask Him what He wants you to learn in this season

The truth is that God’s delay is not coincidental or unplanned. After all, nothing catches Him off guard. Therefore, this delay serves a purpose. Ask Him what He wants you to learn. Does He want to do some character development? Could it be that there are skills He wants you to learn? Maybe He wants you to heal from past trauma. Or maybe, He wants you to learn a particular attribute of Him that you are yet to learn. Or better yet, maybe He is taking you through a season of rest.

Whatever the case is, ask God to show you what He wants you to learn. When God wants you to wait on Him to fulfill His promise, He has an agenda. He will reveal to you what you need to know when you ask Him. Jeremiah 33:3 tells us that when we call, He will answer and show us great and mighty things we don’t know of yet.

‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’- Jeremiah 33:3

Go through the season.

You and I cannot avoid seasons of waiting. Therefore, instead of trying to get out of it, the goal is to go through it. There is a time for everything under the sun. This means that this is just one of those seasons that will pass. Let that assurance be the reason you endure it. Jesus waited for 17 years before He could step into public ministry. We don’t hear much about Him between ages 12 to 29.

Joseph had to endure 13 years as both a slave and a prisoner. And for the two years before His elevation, He quietly endured and went through it. And this is the same thing I want us to do. When God wants you to wait on Him to fulfill His promise, allow yourself to go through the season. Remember it is just a chapter in your book. Whether you wait for 5 years or 10 years, I want you to know that this season will come to an end. Surely there is an end and the expectation of the righteous will not be cut short.

Resist the urge for control

It is easy to want to control the situation. However, my advice for you is to resist the urge for control. Ask the Holy Spirit for help. He is more than willing to help you relinquish control and learn to surrender to the process. If you find yourself struggling with the need for control, remind yourself of the truth that God is the One who is in control. And if you are struggling to trust Him, ask the Holy Spirit to give you a word that helps you trust God. He knows the revelation to give you to ignite your trust in God hence making surrender easy.

Final word.

When God wants you to wait on Him to fulfill His promise, remember that He ultimately has your best interest at heart,. He created you for a purpose and everything you go through or He allows in your life serves a purpose to get you closer to your true purpose and identity. Even the worst of situations, He knows how to turn them around according to Romans 8:28. I hope this word encourages you to learn to trust in God and wait on Him. Not only can He be trusted, but He is one who remains faithful even when we are faithless. He is the unchangeable God. This means the same way He came through for others, He will come through for you.