I like to journal when I pray so I can go back and see where God has answered one thing or another and see how He has grown me and changed me over time and through different circumstances. I looked at a particular entry today and noticed that I had recorded a quote from Charles Spurgeon:
"If the Lord Jehovah makes us wait, let us do so with our whole hearts; for blessed are all they that wait for Him. He is worth waiting for. The waiting itself is beneficial to us: it tries faith, exercises patience, trains submission, and endears the blessing when it comes. The Lord's people have always been a waiting people."
When I wrote that in my journal, I was waiting for the Lord to lead me one way or another, to reveal the next step I should take. It was so helpful at the time to be reminded that He is worth waiting for. I didn't need to rush into anything or jump to a conclusion about something. His timing was (and is) perfect, and He was worth the wait.
Now that I look back at that quote, there is something else that sticks out to me. The waiting "endears the blessing when it comes." The thing I had been waiting for was an answer about GoCorps. Well, I can absolutely attest to the fact that the waiting endears the blessing! God knew what He was doing in leading me step by step through this whole process. He knew that the waiting itself was important. He knew before I did that He would grow my faith in Him, build my patience, and draw me into deeper submission to His will. He knew that my entire experience with GoCorps would be a blessing, a gift from Him. Because of the waiting, I appreciate the blessing even more.
I have worked through my first full week of support raising. It has been challenging already, but goodness, it has been a blessing already in so many ways. The Lord has shown Himself faithful and compassionate. He is working through my work to encourage me and use me to encourage others. Even when the work is hard, I try to remember that this is part of the thing I was waiting for. This is part of that blessing that God has endeared to me through the waiting.