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Inspiration

In the Wait Room
By Joel Osteen - Jul 19, 2019
We all have things we’re waiting for—a dream to come to pass, a problem to turn around. When it’s taking longer than we thought, it’s easy to get impatient and think, “When is it ever going to happen?” Sometimes it’s not happening because we’re not prepared for what God has prepared. You may think you’re ready for what you have in mind, but if you could see what God has in mind, you’d realize you can’t handle it right now. You need more time to develop, to grow, to gain experience. The Scripture says, “Let patience have its perfect work” (James 1:4). Patience is developed in the wait room.

When I was playing basketball in high school, the coach had us spend an hour a day lifting weights. I didn’t want to do that. I wanted to play basketball. It seemed like a waste of time. But in the weight room we were getting stronger, building endurance, so we could succeed on the court. Before you receive what God promised, before you get on the court, God will send you to the wait room. WAIT. You may not like it, but the time in the wait room is critical. You may not see anything changing, but something is happening—patience is working. Your spiritual muscles are getting stronger. Patience is building you, getting you prepared so you can sustain what God has coming. Don’t discount the waiting period. Don’t get discouraged because it’s not happening as fast as you like. The longer it takes, the more God has in store. When God knows you’re ready, what you give birth to is going to be much bigger than you think.

Hebrews 10:36 says, “You have need of patience…so you can receive the promise.” We know we need to have faith and to talk right, but this says we have need of patience if we’re going to see the promise come to pass. Maybe you’ve been praying, believing, and being your best, but you don’t see anything changing. You’re tempted to be impatient. Have a new perspective. You’re in the wait room. You’re not falling behind; you’re right where God wants you. The promise is right on schedule. The key is to wait with a good attitude. Don’t be complaining, “Why is this taking so long?” No, turn it around and say, “Father, thank You that what You started, You’re going to finish. Thank You that what You promised is on the way.” If you’ll wait with the right attitude, then after patience has done its work, you’re going to see the promise come to pass.
 
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