Without pain, Habakkuk would have never raised his question of injustice, and the Lord would not have had reason to give an answer (Hab 2:1-4).
Oftentimes, we come to God in exhaustion of what we can do. We say, "Lord, You need to do something." He often responds with, "Wait. I will do it." We say we have already been waiting forty years and set off to try something else. Let's instead take a moment here and consider this common issue of "The Wait" and its pervasive, uncomfortable state of loneliness, hopelessness and the long-term testing of one's faith in God.
The reason we don't like to wait is the "junk" that it presents. Pain, unrest and anger are common emotions experienced here.
Injustices rise in "the Wait".
The Lord wants you to deal with those this time. He doesn't want you to carry the weight of injustice in your soul. This is the reason for the prolonged period of waiting.
You are not done with your trial until you can
consistently and honestly love yourself.
Once the correct treatment of self as God's creation solidifies as a habit for you, then you can interact with others and forge those relationships you long for. We need love to continue in life, or there is no real, sustainable reason to move forward. Love does not need to be lost this time. Let God take His time with you now. As in Habakkuk 2:3, God will not be late, nor will you if you simply rely upon His process where you are concerned. If the thing which you desire, perhaps a release from loneliness into a new stage of life, is not happening yet, you likely are not loving yourself and painful emotions are still coming to your surface. The Bible calls this process purification, where prolonged pressure brings impurities to the surface where they can be skimmed off the top. The primary method God uses for purification is the command, "Wait." He wants you to bring your injustices directly to Him. Don't bury them inside anymore. Patience simply means you don't fight the wait, but you use it.
"And you shall love the Lord your God out of and with your whole heart and...soul.
...You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
There is no other commandment greater than these." (Mark 12:30-31)
Click on the beautiful swans above to hear an audio clip by Dawn Dyson titled, "The Wait."
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Unless otherwise noted, all biblical passages referenced are in the Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (La Habra, CA: The Zondervan Corporation and the Lockman Foundation, 1987). Scripture quotations taken from the Amplified Bible (AMPC), Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by the Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.Lockman.org.
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