By Ray Lynch
How do you feel about waiting for a long time for something? Waiting is not a strong character trait for many. Instant gratification through credit and debit cards— which separates the pleasure of the purchase from the pain of the payment— has created a culture of impulsive shoppers. We don’t pray about purchases, even big ones, nor do we wait for God’s perfect plan to unfold. As a result, many miss out on God’s best.
Years ago my wife and I were shopping for a van for our business, and we found a low-mileage, slightly damaged van that was perfect. Unfortunately, the asking price was $2,000 more than we had to spend.
We believed God wanted us to pay cash, so we decided that if the van was meant to be ours, then the dealer would accept our offer. When the salesman heard our offer, he wouldn’t budge, and informed us that “the van would sell quickly.” We decided to wait. We left the dealership that day, and left the situation in the Lord’s hands.
Seven weeks later, we purchased the van for our price. Waiting through the big sale and numerous “better offers” wasn’t easy. However, the experience taught us that “it is the blessing of the Lord that makes rich, and He adds no sorrow to it.” (Proverbs 10:22)
When we pray and wait for God’s plan to unfold, there is no striving or stress. The van was a blessing to our business, but the peace of knowing that we were in God’s will was, as the MasterCard commercial says, “priceless!”
So wait on the Lord (and until you have the money to pay for your purchase) and pray earnestly for His will, not yours, to be done.
When you do, you may find that the item you were sure was a “need” is really just another “want” you could easily do without. Or you’ll purchase the item, with the peace that comes from being in God’s will.
