More about Waiting
One of the greatest hurdles to overcome as we stand for the restoration of our marriages is time, because it’s too easy to get tired and discouraged and want to give up waiting. Sadly, that apparently means we consider everything going on around us more credible than the Word of God, which must break our Lord’s heart. And even though we had a lot of great discussion about waiting in FAM Chat last Friday night, based on some private conversations today, it appears that we need to discuss it even more; because knowing why we wait and what to do while we wait are very important, but not nearly as important as understanding HOW to wait.
The reason waiting is so difficult is because we are trying to stand for our marriages in and of our own strength and ability, but in John 15:5, Jesus told us why that doesn’t work. He said “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. Yet, on the other hand, Philippians 4:13 says I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. And 2 Corinthians 12:9 says But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. So God doesn’t expect us to have what it takes to stand for our marriages without Him, and Psalm 37:4-6, gives us the key to victoriously standing in the strength and grace of the Lord; it says Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.
Obviously, we can’t rely on our own strength and ability to stand for the restoration of our marriages. Not only do we not have the power or ability to change our spouses; we don’t even have what it takes to stand the wait without the Lord. But any time God calls us to do something, He gives us everything we need to DO it and to get through it; if He calls us to it, He’ll get us through it. So that means we have to rely on God just to stand and Jesus told us very clearly how that’s possible in John 14:16-18 (NASB, which says “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you. “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you..
As the Lord is ALWAYS so faithful to do, He provided additional confirmation for Friday’s SOF post and our chat Friday night, and answers for some of the questions that came up in several conversations with FAM Fellowship members today, in Charles Stanley’s TV broadcast message Sunday, titled Help is on the Way. The above link is to his sermon outline, where you can also watch or listen to the message, which I strongly encourage, because it’s a great study of who the Holy Spirit is and what He does. And at the end of the message Dr. Stanley discusses waiting, which he agrees is one of the most important principles for us as Christians. So listen to this important message and learn HOW TO WAIT, and be blessed and encouraged, because as Dr. Stanley said, help is on the way when we ask for it!