He waits on me!

I found myself in Isaiah 30 this morning during my Bible reading.  I love the book of Isaiah.  It seems to satisfy my love for OT History & present life application all at one time. And this morning was no different.
In light of our present circumstances (that feel very desperate at the time) this chapter is a great reminder to me to keep my eyes on Jesus, not my circumstances, but it also taught me something new.
Context of this chapter is King Hezekiah is getting advice from advisers to do one thing but the Lord is telling him to do something different.
Little side note here...how often does that happen?  Our girl friends are telling us what they think we should do to fix our problems, but the Lord is telling us something different.  Who to listen to?
The advisers are telling Hezekiah to go to Egypt for help, to form an alliance with them.  The Lord knows what they don't..the Assyrians, who the Israelite's were going to invade had already defeated the Egyptians, who the Israelite's were going to ask to help them invade the Assyrians.  Are you following me?
The Lord calls them;

"stubborn children who carry out a plan, but not mine, and who make an alliance, but not of my Spirit." (Is 30:1)

This is nothing new for Israel.  They completed this cycle for many generations of trying to do things their way, it fails, so they  repent & turn back to God & do things his way.
The Lord even gave them a way out & they refused.

"In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength." But you were unwilling. (Is 30:15

THEY WERE UNWILLING!

I read that over & over & underlined it.  God provided salvation & they wouldn't take it!  So, he had to wait on them.

"Therefore the LORD waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you.  For the LORD is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him." (Isaiah 30:18)

He waited for them to realize their own pride & sin. 
How many times does God have to wait on me?  I never thought about him waiting on me before, but I know he does.  He waits for me when I am putting my trust in someone else or something else to provide a way out.  He waits for me to come to him.  He waits for me!

I don't want to be like King Hezekiah who trusted in the help of others than in God.
I don't want to be like the Israelites who were given a way out & were unwilling to take it.
I don't want God to wait on me. But I also realize that there is beauty and wisdom in his waiting.
Andrew Murray had this to say about God waiting on us.

God waits on us because He is a wise Gardner who "waits for the land to yield its valuable crop" and is "patient...for the autumn and spring rains"(James 5:7).  God knows He cannot gather the fruit until it is ripe, and He knows precisely when we are spiritually ready to receive blessings for our gain and His glory.  And waiting in the sunshine of His love is what will ripen our soul for His blessings.  Also waiting under the clouds of trials is as importance, for they will ultimately produce showers of blessings. 
Rest assured that if God waits longer than we desire, it is simply to make the blessings doubly precious. Only in His hands, and He will quickly avenge those He has chosen, swiftly coming to our support without ever delaying even one hour too long.

I appreciate Murray's words. He paints a picture of God's waiting on us that I did not have. I'm so thankful my God knows the exact moment that I am ready to receive his blessings.
He is patient.
He is gracious. 
He is merciful.
He is just.
He waits to be gracious to you.

Blessed are those who wait for him. (Isaiah 30:18)