Isaiah 40:31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
This passage of scripture teaches us the importance and value of waiting upon God, which results in a daily renewal of both spiritual and physical strength. However the way in which this waiting is done is another matter altogether, especially in the fast paced, "Now generation" in which we live. Almost everything that pertains to our daily living is now associated with speed of some sort, from fast foods, to drive thru' cleaning, to same day deliveries, and recently it was made revealed that the great American company, Amazon, is in the process of testing drones which are capable of delivering goods to our very doorsteps. So we have become so accustomed to speed, that to wait upon God seems like an eternity.
The way how waiting on God is done is by allowing Him to lead us, instead of us leading and planning for ourselves, then seeking His signature to what we already plan to do. It also involves not making any important decisions or moves without first consulting with God as to whether we should move forward with such and such project. One of the most successful ploys of the devil is to get us to believe that God takes too long in His manner of leading, and when we succumb to this fatal philosophy, we inevitably make very grievous mistakes which we sometimes regret for the rest of our lives. Especially is this the case when contemplating marriage, where we sometimes rush head over heels into matrimony, with the person of our dreams, without due consideration and prayerful consultation with God.
This is exactly what took place with Samson, who fell in love with someone who was not of like mind or faith, but because of her external beauty, he decided to throw caution to the wind and disregarded the sobering instructions of both God and man. When his parents remonstrated at the proposal made to the Philistine woman, he decided not to even consider what they were saying, and instead of waiting upon God to provide him an help meet in the fulness of time, he decided to follow where his heart led him, even though it would involve violating the clearest commands of God on this very sensitive and life-changing issue. Let's read:
Deuteronomy 7:2 And when the Lord thy God shall deliver them before thee" .... "thou shalt make no covenant with them" ..... 3 Neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son. 4 For they will turn away thy son from following me, that they may serve other gods" ....
Judges 14:1 And Samson went down to Timnath, and saw a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines. 2 And he came up, and told his father and his mother, and said, I have seen a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines: now therefore get her for me to wife. 3 Then his father and his mother said unto him, Is there never a woman among the daughters of thy brethren, or among all my people, that thou goest to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines? And Samson said unto his father, Get her for me; for she pleaseth me well.
If Samson had put the matter to the Lord in prayer, and was willing to follow where God would lead the way, God would have provided the best of the very best for Samson, a wife who would be extremely good-looking in internal as well as external beauty, for whenever we ask God for a spouse according to His will, The Lord then personally handpicks only the most excellent person that can be found on this planet, to suit the desire and compatibility of the one who waits upon Him. This truth pertaining to God is often swept under the rug by satan, who takes delight in hustling us off to make ill-advised moves, before the perfect will of God can be revealed to us, and often it's only with the passage of time that we realize the very grave mistakes thus made in a hurry. Let's read:
James 1:16 Do not err, my beloved brethren. 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
When we pray and ask God to direct us in any matter, let us not allow ourselves to be driven to make hasty moves because of any time constraints, for God's purposes know no haste or no delay, but in the fulness of time, God will grant us the desires of our hearts, if we only wait upon Him. We therefore end with a passage of scripture which encourages us to wait upon God and thereby avoid any ill-advised decisions, for by so doing we can avert many an unnecessary heartache and danger. Let's read:
Psalm 27:14 Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.
May God add His blessing to the study and practice of His word. "Good night" and God bless!