Well Worth the Wait!

In I Samuel 20, we find the tragic parting of dear friends, Jonathan and David.  David is convinced that Saul wants him dead, but Jonathan can't believe that his father would be so petty and bitter.  He pleads with David to hide for a few days while he (Jonathan) sorts things out with his father, Saul.  Jonathan soon discovers that Saul is even more bitter and angry than David had let on, and Jonathan has to send David away for his own safety.

I think we all know the account.  David hid in a field when Jonathan and his servant came out as if practicing with the bow and arrow.  Jonathan and David had already discussed the code phrase they would use if David were right about Saul, and when Jonathan used that phrase, David knew it was time to say goodbye to his dearest friend, not to mention the life that God had promised him, it seemed.

Last Saturday, I went to a ladies' meeting in Colombia, and let me tell you, the Lord moved in that meeting.  The speaker talked a little bit about the above passage and about the stone Ezel where David awaited Jonathan.  She gave a definition of the word "Ezel":  waiting place of destiny.  That phrase hit me hard because I feel like that's where my husband and I have been for quite some time now.  Waiting.  There are things we've been praying about for years that still have not come to pass even though we feel those things would be for our benefit.  Still, we pray and wait.

This morning, I wanted to study out that word "Ezel" a little more.  I just had a feeling that the Lord had something more for me there.  I wasn't wrong.  As I searched, I discovered that the word has more than one meaning, yet they go together so perfectly.  Ezel also means "the stone that shapes or shows the way."  Hallelujah!  You see, it's not just a waiting place; it's also a molding place, which means that while we're waiting, God is working.

I believe there are many reasons why God often makes us wait for an answer to our prayers or for our miracle to take place, but I also feel that this is one of the main ones.  God is working on us while we're waiting because it's only when we are still that He can do the detailed work that needs to be done.  During those long times of waiting, He is shaping us to be what He wants us to be and showing us so many things--things about Him, things about ourselves, things about the path we desire and the way He desires for us.  So much can take place while we're waiting on God.  That's why waiting is so important.  It can change our lives if we let it.  No, it's never easy, but it is always worth it.

Perhaps you are standing at your stone of Ezel today.  Maybe, like me, you've been praying for something, and it seems as if God has turned a deaf ear.  Don't despair, friend, for God always hears and answers our prayers when we come to Him with clean hearts.  But remember that the answer will come in God's time, and while you're waiting, He will be working on you and showing you the way He wants you to go.

Keep in mind, also, that the answer may not always be the one you wanted. David waited at Ezel, and he received his directions:  he had to flee.  That was not the answer he wanted, but we know from understanding the rest of David's story that it was all part of God's plan.  Remember that should God give you an answer that is contrary to the one you desired.  He is working all things for our good, and sometimes the biggest part of that work is the waiting.  Hang in there, my friend.  God is not through yet, and what He has in store for you is well worth the wait!

Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord. - Psalm 27:14