Fall 1996
God Does Not Wear a Watch
Lindie Gibson

"And therefore will the LORD wait, that He may
be gracious unto you, and therefore will He be
exalted, that He may have mercy upon you: for
the LORD is a God of judgment: blessed are all
they that wait for Him" Isa 30:18.

When we reflect on the names given to God in the Bible, it seems that one, His middle name, has been omitted. It would appear that this middle name is, "Wait." Of course, this is not one of His names, but it definitely is a part of His nature and character.

This word, "wait" is one that none of us enjoys hearing, especially, when it concerns something that we anticipate receiving, for it is not our nature to wait. But it is God's nature to wait.

It seems that the Lord does an awful lot of waiting. He is always waiting for us to find time for Him. He waits for us to be obedient. He waits for us to pray. Through each day, Jesus walks beside us, unnoticed, waiting for us to notice. He patiently waits for us to find time for Him. He waits.

The Lord often reveals to us needs, which require prayer. Our life should be one of constant prayer. In fact, we are called to BE a House of Prayer. Instead, most of us go about our hectic days, too busy to pray; and when we do find time to pray, we do all the talking while the Lord patiently listens and waits - desiring to talk to us.

A short time ago, I was praying about something that I felt needed the Lord's immediate attention. As I prayed, I pictured myself standing in front of a white haired man with a long robe, who intently held my prayer "shopping list" as He read it.

Then the Lord said that He desired to show me a new dimension to prayer. As I knelt there in prayer, I saw my prayers going up to Heaven, like lightning bolts, fast and with power. The Lord was reaching out to catch these "lightning bolts" and gather them in His arms like arrows. He knew what each "arrow" represented, as my spirit was in communion with His.

I noticed that God did not seem too interested in the ones that I was anxious about. In fact, He was not wearing a watch. I became very concerned because, some of these things needed His attention - RIGHT NOW.

The Lord knew my thoughts, of course. He responded, "Do you not know that your ways are not My ways? You are bound by time, but I am not. I have your prayers right here in My arm, and I never let go of them. Each one is a sweet smelling fragrance in my nostrils."

"Because you have chosen to walk with Me, your desires are also My desires. I am fully aware of what you need, as well as the needs of others. But I do not see time, I see hearts. And when each person is ready for the answer to their prayer, I shoot these prayers back down as answers, sometimes a whole armful at a time."

"There is power in the prayers of My people. They that worship Me must worship Me in Spirit and in truth. I am Jehovah-Jireh, the Supplier of all your needs. And I am the Faithful and True One. My answer will come in My time, at the right time."