Found: Treasure After the Wait

I will give you the treasures of darkness, and hidden wealth of secret places, So that you may know that it is I,The LORD, the God of Israel, who calls you by your name. Isaiah 45:3

Delayed gratification is hard to teach children.  As adults we are all too familiar with the struggle found in this concept.

Having the willpower to hold back our desires takes a shift of focus from the visible to the invisible – holding onto the hope of knowing there is something better to come.

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In 1972 Stanford tried a marshmallow experiment.  This simple test measured the willpower of children who managed to sit a table with a marshmallow in front of them for 15 minutes.  They were not allowed to eat the marshmallow, and if they succeeded they were rewarded with a second marshmallow.  It took willpower and it took grit, and those children who delayed their gratification were deemed to have a more successful future because they knew how to wait. it. out.  There was something better to come.

Recently, this test was revisited by the University of Rochester.  Children were placed in a reliable group and an unreliable group.  The teacher took time to prove herself to the reliable group, but disappointed the unreliable group.

When has God let you down? 

When the teacher gave the marshmallow to the reliable group, they trusted the teacher and waited for her to return with the second one.
When the teacher gave the marshmallow to the unreliable group, they ate it because they did. not. trust. 

God says if we wait for Him, then He will give us treasures and hidden wealth – all the plunder in the storehouses will be ours…

SO THAT He can prove Himself to us.
He wants us to know in our hearts not only our heads, that He is our Creator.
He wants us to answer Him when He calls us by name.
He wants us to walk confidently in Him, because there is more to come.

If you are having a hard time in the wait…
1.  Make a list of God’s Promises to you – If He put a dream in your heart, He is going to fulfill it in His perfect timing.
2.  Write down the Scriptures which support those promises.
3.  Pray
4.  Share your struggle with family/friends, so that they can pray for you and encourage you along the way.

Press into God now, and afterwards… the treasure of the wait will be yours!

What are you waiting for? 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Basking in His Light

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  1. Irene

    February 6, 2014 at 9:22 am

    Thank you for this special message. How true that we want children to wait.. I teach middle school and students want instant gratification. I often am the same way. What a great reminder that there is more to come and God will provide support for me. I have learned so much through this study, thanks for additional insight.
    Irene
    Group 30

  2. Kris Czerniawski Danko

    February 6, 2014 at 11:43 am

    Thank you for sharing this!! I love the relation to waiting for God’s riches to the children waiting for the second marshmallow! What a great lesson for what God has in store for us, if only we wait!!

    Kris Danko (OBS Blog Hop Team)

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