something to inspire you

Something to think about

Why Does God Wait?
By Max Lucado

Why does God wait until the money is gone? Why does he wait until the
sickness has lingered? Why does he choose to wait until the other side
of the grave to answer the prayers for healing?

I don't know. I only know his timing is always right. I can only say he
will do what is best. "God will always give what is right to his people
who cry to him night and day, and he will not be slow to answer them."
(Luke 18:7)

Though you hear nothing, he is speaking. Though you see nothing, he is
acting. With God there are no accidents. Every incident is intended to
bring us closer to him.

Can I give a great example? The direct route from Egypt to Israel would
take only eleven days by foot. But God took the Israelites on the long
road, which took forty years. Why did he do that? Read carefully the
explanation.

"Remember how the LORD your God has led you in the desert for these
forty years, taking away your pride and testing you, because he wanted
to know what was in your heart. He took away your pride when he let you
get hungry, and then he fed you with manna, which neither you nor your
ancestors had ever seen. This was to teach you that a person does not
live by eating only bread, but by everything the LORD says. During these
forty years, your clothes did not wear out, and your feet did not swell.
Know in your heart that the LORD your God corrects you as a parent
corrects a child." (Deut. 8:2-4)

Look what God did in the desert. He took away the Israelites' pride. He
tested their hearts. He proved that he would provide for them. Did God
want the children of Israel to reach the Promised Land? Of course. But
he was more concerned that they arrive prepared than that they arrive
soon.

It reminds me of the often-told story of two maestros who attended a
concert to hear a promising young soprano. One commented on the purity
of her voice. The other responded, "Yes, but she'll sing better once her
heart is broken." There are certain passions only learned by pain. And
there are times when God, knowing that, allows us to endure the pain for
the sake of the song.