By Tijuana J. Williams
I know James 1: 4 says, “Let patience have her perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.
I know Isaiah 40:31 says, “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”
I know Psalm 27:14 says, “Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.”
I know all these scriptures and I believe them. But if you are like me, right now, that’s not what you want to hear. If you have been waiting as patiently as possible, it is challenging to continue to stand when nothing seems to be happening. So I recently questioned God again, “How long, God, how long must I wait?” This time, His retort was, “Are you ready?” Thinking my reply would warrant the response I had been awaiting, I replied, “YES!” And God took me to the book of Job.
Not Job … not Job. I knew Job’s story. Job was a man of integrity who walked blameless before God. God gave Satan access to Job and overtime, he lost everything. In the midst of despair, Job’s wife told him to curse God, but Job, even in his infirmities, never did. Even those closest to Job tried to advise him how he should handle his most difficult moments, but Job simply continued to plead his innocence. In the end, Job was restored. He received double for his trouble. I know the story!
But God took me back to the very beginning of the book. Satan was roaming the earth, looking at the lives and actions of all the people. Without hesitation, God asked Satan if he had noticed Job. Of all the other people present during that time in history, God pointed out Job. Why? Because He knew Job was ready. He knew Job could handle it. He knew even without the “hedge of protection,” Job would maintain his integrity and do the right thing. He knew even if he took all of Job’s “stuff” away, Job would still trust Him.
So once again God asked me, “Are You Ready?”
Often, God gives us a glimpse of the mind-blowing plan He has for us and we think we are ready. We see the end and we want it. If you are like me, you want it bad! But God knows the time is not now. See, Job only received “double” after going through the “trouble.” I believe each day, God sends a little bit of “trouble” our way. It is His way of asking…Are You Ready? How we handle fickle people shows God if we are ready. How we respond to others who are in need shows God if we are ready. Our ability to step back and let God fight our battles shows Him if we are ready.
There is “double” waiting for each of us. But let’s slow down and make sure we are prepared to handle the “trouble” that is inevitable. When it’s time for the business to open, when it’s time for the promotion, when it’s time for increase, when it’s time for the book deal, we want God to point us out WITHOUT HESITATION because of His confidence in our readiness. Just like He did Job.
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