Harvest

For since the beginning of the world
Men have not heard nor perceived by the ear,
Nor has the eye seen any God besides You,
Who acts for the one who waits for Him.

~Isaiah 64:4

But as it is written:
“ Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,
Nor have entered into the heart of man
The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”

~1 Corinthians 2:9

Paul quotes Isaiah 64:4, but he changes the word “wait” to the word “love.” God convicted me some time ago in a difficult season of waiting in my life that His people were not willing to wait for Him. When I saw how Paul changes the wording in this verse, I was confronted with the question: “Do I really love God if I’m not willing to wait for Him?” I think God is making a point in this change from “wait” to “love.” Does His church really love Him when she is constantly going off without Him?

I read a touching story about a man who was convicted to wait for God in his closet every day. Thus, for most of the day, he sat in his closet and just waited for the Lord. Finally, on day twelve, he said, “Lord, I’ve been waiting for you everyday now for almost two weeks. You have yet to show up. What is your point in making me wait for you?” All of a sudden he felt a hand on his shoulder and water on his back. God spoke to him and said, “I am weeping because my people do not wait for me.”

I think we hurt God when we aren’t willing to wait for Him. When God says, “Go!” we must be obedient and go. When God says, “No” we must be obedient and stop or not start. When God says, “Wait” we must patiently endure the time knowing we are acting out of love for the One we are called to love the most. There was a time in my life when I was not willing to wait for Him. I learned the hard way, and I hurt the One I do love most in this world. Now I know that if I truly love God, I will gladly wait for Him—no matter the cost. Because I love Him that much. Let us rejoice, therefore, as we wait for the Lord. Surely, the harvest will come if we do not lose heart.

And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. ~ Galatians 6:9