Are You Willing To Wait?

Today’s Passage – Genesis 41 – 42; Proverbs 16

“Thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled: only in the throne will I be greater than thou.” (Genesis 41:40)

“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.” (Isaiah 40:31)

Just a quick thought from the Scripture this morning. How long did Joseph have to wait before God turned around his circumstances? I am not sure if the Bible tells us how long it was, but no doubt it was many years after God first gave Joseph the first dream that God finally put Joseph in that position of authority. He was enslaved, he was made a servant, and he was imprisoned. He did nothing to deserve the treatment he received. As far as we can see, there is not a mark against him in Scripture. He must have wondered when all of the bad things were happening to him: “what did I do?”; and “I don’t deserve this!” He must have been tempted to doubt the existence of God during these years, yet he stayed faithful to the Lord. He waited patiently on God, and God, in His time, delivered him. Did you ever notice, though, that God’s time seems to be a lot longer than our time. We seem to always be in a hurry. We want immediate results, and instant answers. God is not on our timetable.

Abraham must have felt the same way when he was waiting for Isaac. We know that he waited for more than twenty years. Twenty years is an awful long time. David must have felt this way when he was waiting to be recognized as king by the people. Twenty years before, Samuel annointed him; but the people were slow to do the same. He must have gotten antsy; he must have been frustrated and wanted at times to quit; but he didn’t. He stayed faithful to the Lord.

I am very impatient. I expect God to be at my beck and call. I forget that God’s universe does not revolve around me. Christ is at the center of the univers, not me. It’s all about His glory, not mine. Yet, in His time, God will still fulfill every promise He has made; and if I will stay faithful, God will glorify Himself through my life and reward me as well.

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Phil Erickson

Pastor Phil Erickson has been the pastor of Jersey Shore Baptist Church since January of 2002. Having grown up in Ocean County, Pastor Phil has always had a burden for the south Jersey area. After graduating from Bible College in Longview, Texas, he and his family moved to Galloway Township with the vision of digging in and serving the Lord and the people of Atlantic County. Pastor Phil and Cindy Erickson have been married since 1985. They have four children and ten grandchildren. Their oldest son, Phil Jr. and his wife Katelyn are serving the Lord in Egg Harbor Twp., NJ. Their oldest daughter, Melissa, is married to Wesley Clayton who is in the Air Force and is currently stationed in New Mexico. Samantha, their third child, is married to Justin Mears and they are both serving the Lord at the church in Galloway. Hannah, the youngest, is married to Lucas McCollum, and they are also serving here in Galloway. In preparation for ministry, the Lord led him through a variety of educational experiences that have equipped him to serve the Lord and His people. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Georgian Court University, a Bachelor of Biblical Studies in Pastoral Theology from Texas Independent Baptist Seminary (formerly Texas Baptist College), a Master of Religious Education in Bible from West Coast Baptist College, and a Master of Biblical Studies from The Crown College. More recently, he completed a Graduate Certificate in Biblical Counseling and a Doctor of Ministry degree from Veritas Baptist College. He is thankful for these opportunities to study God’s Word more deeply, and counts it a privilege to use whatever knowledge the Lord has given him for the building up of His church. In addition to pastoring, the Lord has given Phil the wonderful privilege of teaching as an adjunct professor at Vision Baptist College in Berlin, NJ and Veritas Baptist College.