Wait for it...

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.  Romans 8:28  (NKJV)

Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.  Psalm 27:14 (NLT)

Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. Romans 12:12 (NLT)

We live in a society where everyone wants everything right now.  We expect immediate responses and answers.  If someone doesn't reply to a text, we get annoyed because we really need to know their reply at this moment.  When the Internet freezes, we freak out, wondering what in the world we're going to do without it.  If I am held up two minutes at a railroad crossing because of a passing train, oh my goodness...don't they know I need to be somewhere this instant!

I feel like my kids are growing up in a fairytale world.  A world that 15 years ago was unthinkable.  I never would have imagined that I could send someone across the globe a message and they could respond immediately.  I remember in high school beepers were starting to become popular.  I'm not even sure my kids know what a beeper is, but I can bet they would think they were ridiculous.  Why wouldn't you just call or text the person?

Or how about Skype?  I've never used it, but what an awesome tool for families spread out everywhere.   I'm sure that military families utilize Skype on a regular basis. To be able to see children or grandchildren thousands of miles away and interact with them in realtime...it's amazing.  It's instantaneous.

So many times when we pray for something we want, we expect answers quickly.  And when we don't get them fast, we assume that we aren't getting them at all.  Remember the song by Garth Brooks, "Unanswered Prayers"?  Some of God's greatest gifts really are unanswered prayers because although we may think we know what we want, God knows what we need and when we need it.

God uses us for his purpose...at least that is His plan.  Sometimes when bad things happen, it is hard to see the good, but God tells us that all things work together for good.  He says "ALL THINGS" and all, at least in my mental dictionary, means everything.

It is hard to be patient.  I'm one of the most impatient people I know. I want answers right now.  When I pray for something, I want to see results quickly.  What's cool is that sometimes, I do get results right away.  Just the other night on my way home from work, Jay called on his way home from work and his truck died, literally.  I quickly prayed that it would be something simple.  And it was.  In a matter of minutes, he had reprogrammed whatever gadget needed rebooting and he was on his way.  May seem silly, but I felt like my prayer was answered ASAP.

It is difficult to see the good in situations that aren't going my way.  And the key to that failure is the "my way" part of the statement.  I need to remember that things need to go His way and then they'll turn out good...in His time.   Even though we have become accustomed to getting things right now, sometimes we just have to wait for it...