Romans 8:25 “If we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently”
Romans 8:24,25 “Hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.”
I think there is something to a delay in an answer to prayer. Recently I wrote about how those who have faith in God though they may never see what they’re hoping for are more blessed than those who see it.
There is a reason, though it may be hard to see, for why I must wait for an answer to prayer. Even if I wait for a long time. God wants patience to build in me.
But why? Why do I have to go through so much crap, so much pain, asking God for something, something He can easily do for me, but doesn’t? Patience is building maturity, and regardless of what I’m asking for, maturity is the greatest thing that can happen to me.
“Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” James 1:4
Patience (which is a part of perseverance) makes me mature. If I ask God for something in faith, and patiently wait for His answer, I grow. It’s not an easy thing to do, or at least, it’s not easy to admit we have to do this. But what is more important, in the end: getting what I want, or growing closer to Jesus (ie: maturity)?
