Surviving The Waiting Season

Hang on, saints! God is faithful. And He is going to see to it that the promise He made you comes to pass. Staying encouraged in the waiting season is key. But to do that, we need to look at the first promise. In that promise, we see three important factors about promises.

God told Noah to build an ark of safety for the coming flood. He was asked to prepare for something that no one had ever experienced before. Everything about this call would sound crazy to anyone who heard it. He would be mocked and ridiculed for years. Yet despite public opinion, Noah obeyed and survived a flood that destroyed everyone else.

After a year on that boat, God told Noah to leave the ark of safety. Noah’s first act once off the boat was to build an altar and make a sacrifice to the Lord. The scripture says that the Lord was pleased with the aroma of the sacrifice and promised that he would never again flood the earth and that as long as the earth endures, there will be seed, time, and harvest. It was a tremendous promise that their future would be secure and blessed.

Then, to give Noah a continual reminder, God placed a rainbow in the clouds as a symbol of His promise. So in every time of rain, Noah wouldn’t need to fear. He knew where to fix his gaze. He could look up and see God’s promise.

The first point in this promise is that it would not only affect Noah. Its reach still covers us today. When God gives us a promise, it endures. Our God is eternal, so His gifts are eternal. Romans 11:29, “For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.” No matter how much time has passed, God hasn’t changed His mind about you. The promise stands, and it will bless you and those after you.

Second is the necessary element of time. God said there would be seed, time, and harvest. The promise is the seed. But after you receive the seed, there will be time. How much time? The right amount of time. God’s perfect plan has a perfect time. “For the vision is yet for an appointed time; but at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry. Behold, the proud, his soul is not upright in him; but the just shall live by faith.” Habakkuk 2:3-4 (NKJV) If you remember that time is part of the promise, you won’t be so discouraged in the waiting.

The third element of this promise is perspective. God put the promise in the sky. For Noah to see it, he would need to lookup. Luke 21:28 (KJV) “And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.” This scripture reminds us that even when we face the chaos of a fallen world, we can look up and know God is faithful to His word. Just as Noah was safe on the ark, God will keep you.

Your promise is for an appointed time. Look up. It will come to pass.

Jaime Luce