When the people saw that Moses delayed in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said to him, “Come make us a god who will go before us because this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt-we don’t know what has happened to him!”  Exodus 32:1 HCSB

In today’s scripture passage the poor Israelites mess up again.  They continue their pattern of grumbling and complaining.  Moses goes up on the mountain for a meeting with the Lord.  Pretty important stuff, I’m sure we would all agree.  The people became restless and felt that Moses was taking too long.  So they constructed their own god, a golden calf.  Now what’s really sad about this is that they have witnessed the plagues that God rained down on Egypt when Pharaoh was hard hearted and refused to let them go.  They have witnessed the Passover.  They have seen the parting of the Red Sea and walked through the sea on dry ground.  They have seen manna fall from the sky to feed them daily.  They have seen a pillar of fire light their way at night and a pillar of cloud guide them during the day.  They have seen many wonders performed by the one true God.  But I ask you what can this golden calf do for them?

Now I read this and my heart goes out for these poor Israelites.  But what makes my heart even sadder is that I have done the same thing in my life.  I am a very impatient person.  I used to have a hard time waiting for anything.  Rather than wait, I would just take matters into my own hands.  What a mess that usually turned out to be.

We live in a fast paced world.  When news happens, we see it almost immediately.  The internet has provided a world of knowledge at our fingertips that can be accessed at the click of a few buttons.  We have drive through banking.  We have drive through fast food.  And we now have pickup at Wal-Mart and Sam’s.  You can just place your order online and drive up and someone will load your groceries in your car.  I love that plan.  The catch there is that sometimes you have to order a day ahead, but it’s still worth it if you have time to wait.

Now we live in a world where no one wants to wait for anything.  Road rage occurs usually because someone gets in someone’s way and delays them.  We are all in a hurry.  But we know there are things that people are willing to wait for.  People will line up a day or two in advance to be the first ones to get the newest iPhone.  People will line up for tickets to a concert or special event.  People will wait an hour or more to get into a really good restaurant.  So I ask you today, what are some things that you consider to be worth the wait?

Well, I have learned that my answer to that question is “anything that God has planned for me”.   I have learned that God has really good plans for me (Jeremiah 29:11).  I have also learned that sometimes I have to wait for those plans to come through.  My former supervisor used to say, “your wants and needs are two different things and if you are not careful, you will have what you want and not have what you need.”  God knows our every need.  God knows what our future holds.  Think about it this way.  Let’s take the Israelites for example.  When Pharaoh’s army was pursuing them and they came to the Red Sea they were probably thinking we need a really big boat or a lot of big boats.  I guess that would have worked, but it wouldn’t have stopped the army from being able to pursue them.  They could have just gotten boats too.  But God had a much better plan.  He simply parted the Red Sea and allowed the Israelites to walk through on dry land.  When Pharaoh’s men started in after them, he brought the Red Sea back together and drowned them.  Problem solved.  God is really good at solving our problems, if we can just be patient.

If you are in a season of waiting right now, I implore you to simply trust God.  Know that He has something awesome in store for you.  If you believe in Him and trust in Him, He will take care of you.  He knows what you need and He already knows just how He is going to provide it.  So trust in Him.  All good things come from God (James 1:17).  We just have to be willing to wait on God’s timing.  God not only knows what we need, but He knows exactly when we need it.  Ecclesiastes 8:6 tells us that there is a time and way for everything, although man’s trouble lies heavy on him.  Don’t be burdened by the wait.  Trust in God and know that His timing is perfect.  Also know that in seasons of trials and tribulations that God is working all this out for your good if you love and trust in Him.

It could mean the difference between being chased in a boat or walking through safely on dry ground while your enemies behind you are completely destroyed.  Think about it.

Have a great day!