I despise waiting. I hate the word wait.
I don’t like being put on hold on the telephone. I hate slow service in a restaurant. I despise long lines in the grocery store.
I especially hate delays when I come to God with desperate prayers.
But it seems to me that God loves the word wait.
He made the world wait thousands of years for the Savior. And during this time of the year, as we anticipate Christmas, we remember that long wait. During Advent, we think about when God tarries.
Why did God wait so long to send a Savior? Why is He delaying His return to judge the world? And why, oh why, does He wait to answer my prayers?
I believe one of the reasons for delay is that waiting draws us to Him.
I have to admit it. When everything is going well I am tempted to rely on myself–think I have everything under control.
It’s when I’m desperately praying for better health for a family member or for a change in our finances or for direction for my life that I am on my knees. When I don’t have everything under control, I turn to God.
Waiting makes me see all my efforts are useless. Waiting on the Lord makes me see that I need to trust God’s goodness.
Waiting pushes me to the heart of God.
Psalm 27:14 says:
Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.
Waiting isn’t for sissies. It takes strength and patience and unremitting devotion to God’s way.
But if we let the waiting draw us closer to God, if we allow the delay to pull us closer to His heart–we can realize there is a purpose in the wait.
Remember–even while you are in one of life’s many waiting rooms--God is there holding your hand.
Next step: Are you in a waiting season? Remember waiting can draw you closer to God. Post Psalm 27:14 where you will see it today to remind you to wait on the Lord.
If you would like to learn more about waiting on God, check out my book: Waiting: A Bible Study on Patience, Hope, and Trust.
The book studies the lives of:
- Sarah
- Hannah
- The Widow of Zarapheth
- Esther
- Anna
- The Woman with a 12-year Hemorrhage
- Martha
- Ten Virgins
Through their examples, we find hope for the delays in our lives. We learn how to wait well.
What truth-filled words, Sharla. We struggle in the waiting, but that’s where God molds and shapes us. And sometimes it hurts. I guess it’s supposed to. How else would we let Jesus shine through our junk if He didn’t first crack our facades in the waiting?
Donna, how true that waiting sometimes cracks our facades. It makes us see our need for Jesus! Thank you dear sister!