But those who wait upon 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

 Years ago, we had a small fire in our home. A plumber installed a new outside faucet by sweating it on the copper pipe. During the process, he used torch to melt the binding compound, which in turn caught the wallboard on fire behind the brick wall. As a result, the wallboard basically smoldered, which produced a lot of smoke and worked its way up the wall and out through the shingles. I called 911 to report the fire, and it seemed to take forever for the fire department to arrive. During that wait, I was overwhelmed by the sight of all that smoke and thought our home would be destroyed by the time the fire could be extinguished. Fortunately, it burned just a small area and the impact was manageable.

 When faced with a crisis, your first reaction is probably to pray to God for help. Knowing God’s ability, you expect Him to respond immediately and resolve the issue. But so often that doesn’t happen and you question why God took so long to respond. I’d like to share a thought God laid on my heart yesterday about why He takes so long to respond to your cries for help.

 When Jesus heard that, He said, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” John 11:4

 During the time of waiting for help, your eyes become aware of the dire situation. As it grows in intensity, your mind takes you places of defeat and negative thoughts that there is no way out of this problem. At the point of complete desperation, that’s when God steps in and provides the help needed. He wants to grow your faith and belief in Him, which results in the glory of God being revealed, just as recorded in the miracle of raising Lazarus back to life (John 11). Can you imagine how much Lazarus’s family’s faith grew when they witnessed his resurrection by the miracle of Jesus?

 Your situation is no different. When seeking God’s help, learn to wait upon the Lord and witness His mighty power work through your situation. When your faith is strong enough to believe in God’s abilities, you’ll be witness to His glory and power of help, healing, and restoration. Trust and be patient with God in every situation, and your strength will be renewed! God bless!