“But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”  Isaiah 40:31

There is much to be said for learning to patiently wait upon the Lord.  He is a God who always comes through, but not always as quickly as we would like.  This is why patience is indispensable in the life of the believer.

Am I the only one who finds it interesting how much harder things became for the Israelites prior to God’s deliverance?   They were enslaved by the Egyptians, very badly oppressed, forced to make a high volume of bricks out of straw.  Things were bad.  Along comes the Lord, promising deliverance.  Yet, things got much worse before they got better.  They went from having the raw material for the bricks provided, to having to scrounge around hither and yon to find scraps of material – while still being required to produce the same number of bricks.

Then came the plagues.  First one plague, then another – and another.  Some might cry, “Enough with the plagues, already.  Why not just deliver them?”  God is making all of these lofty promises, but the people aren’t seeing any results.  Things are getting much worse, yet God continues to say, “I’m going to do it.”

At some point we have to decide we are going to believe God, regardless of how things look, how we feel, or how long it takes.  That’s why it is critical that we know what God says about us and about our lives.  We need to be deeply aware of His promises regarding us.

Everything is for God’s glory.  I believe one of the reasons He sometimes allows things to get worse before they get better is because it makes His deliverance a grander event.  It helps us appreciate and praise Him more, and it gives us a clearer demonstration of His power and love.