Listen and Wait: The Art of Hearing God

By | Pastor Sybil Bull

Many times we focus on the wrong things while we wait. Time becomes a focus, the discomfort we feel, and the doubt we begin to think about. We must fight not to focus on the things that we feel or see but rather on the things that faith reveals.

The truth about waiting is that it yields more value in our life than we give it credit for. While we wait we gain more than we ever acknowledge. What was delayed caused me to grow in endurance, and at times helped me to be long suffering. The process can be trying but the results are eternal. If I learn to wait I also learn to succeed and not fail. While I wait the mind has to be focused on the things that are not yet more than the things that are now!

I am reminded of Abraham and Sarah waiting on the promise of Isaac to happen, it appeared that while they waited they were only getting older. While focusing on the natural, God was doing the supernatural behind the scene. If you follow the story, you will see that Abraham got a covenant that was symbolic to that of the coming messiah. Sarah and Abraham were chosen to bring forth an heir that would affect all people for eternity. They were being established for all times and they were chosen for supernatural transfer. It looked like all they wanted was a child and God was giving them seed which would produce an everlasting harvest for generations to come. In the time of their travel from the first word to the last Abraham and his wife were becoming more and more wealthy and inheriting land and possessing things. Isaac was just a portion of the promise not the whole promise. If we read the story again we will see that God said he would give them land and he did, he would give them seed and He did; He would make him a father of all nations and He did; He would establish Abraham and his seed and He did. God always speaks more than we listen and we tend to focus on part and not all of the promise.

Next time you are waiting or even look back on the past times you waited on God, you may have to repent for not seeing how much you gain while you had to wait. James 1 says when patience has had her perfect work we will be mature and not lacking anything. When you think of waiting get excited and start thinking about all you are about to gain.

Patience-Pastor Sybil Bull

By | Pastor Sybil Bull

Patience is a virtue echoed through out my childhood whenever I needed to wait for something. Who wants to wait when you can see what you want now and it is within your reach! But my mother, grandmother and aunts thought that delaying things would help me and not hurt me. When you are young the wait hurts a lot, and the person making you wait seems cruel and uncaring. Many emotions are released when we experience a delay in the things or person we are expecting. In an instant we go from excited anticipation to feelings of neglect, despair, and even anger when we see things postponed.

This position of “waiting” brings with it a mind of impatience and aggravation when what we want does not appear to manifest. The time between our expectation and manifestation seems eternal even though at times it’s only minutes or even days that some things are delayed. Whenever we are expecting what faith tells us to hope for, we then have to wait for it. My delay is working on my behalf more that against me. James 1:3-4 tells me that the trying of my Faith works patience in me, so I am encouraged to let patience have her work in me. If we wait for the things we are hoping for patiently, we will receive more than expected. There are certain things that happen to a person who learns to wait that appear to make them more relax and happy during the delayed time. Each time faith prolongs evidence appearing right away, we are taught to stand on God’s word and trust He will show the evidence of our faith and expectation.

As much as our flesh hates it, our soul is gaining more self control and freedom to experience the position of waiting patiently. We always have a choice in this journey when it comes to faith in God’s word. We can choose to believe and anticipate His visible word coming to past, or we can make it happen because our emotions got the best of us. However, each time we lose our focus on God and do things our self we fail to get the more unexpected things because we settled for making the expected things happen our self. Now that I am on this side of waiting I rejoice in all the times I did not understand, yet I still waited on God to fulfill His word, His way!