Visiting our daughter in China involves waiting in a lot of lines. First, my husband and I queue up at the Chinese consulate in Chicago to obtain our visas. In fact, we usually do this several times for just one visa, because
inevitably the rules will have changed and we will be missing an important document.
Then, on the day of our flight, we stand in security lines at O’Hare airport. We wait to get on the plane. We endure a fifteen-hour flight to Beijing, get off, retrieve our luggage, and stand in more lines for Chinese customs and security. We wait at the gate for the flight to the city where our daughter’s family lives, and when we arrive, we wait one more time for our bags. Finally, after twenty or more hours of travel, we are able to wrap our arms around our loved ones.
During these journeys, standing in a line is a given. But I have learned through these adventures in waiting that I do have a choice. I can choose to wait in patience or agitation, stillness or anxiety.
We have the same choice in life. Although life without delay is not an option, we can decide how we will wait.
Psalm 37:7 reminds us:
Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him;
fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way,
over the man who carries out evil devices!
We wait well when we follow the psalmist’s instructions to “Be still.” But how is this quiet possible? This stillness of spirit comes when we have poured out our souls and surrendered all our hopes and dreams to Him. Until then, we will keep striving and conniving and working on our projects. When we are finally still, God can work in our hearts.
What are you waiting for? What deep desire of your heart remains unmet? Perhaps you’ve been desperately praying for someone to share your life with. Maybe you are waiting for a child to hold. Or it could be you long to make a difference in the world but have no idea how. You pour out your heart day by day. But what you hear from heaven is deafening silence. All you can do is wait. The line for what you want seems to have no end. Frustration grows. Impatience joins you in the line.
My usual response is to stubbornly hold on to my desire. You could follow my example and refuse to be happy until you get your way.
Or you could relinquish your desire into the loving hands of God. The Father is there, waiting to listen to your heart’s cries. He knows what is best. He may satisfy your profound longings at the right time.
Or He may give you peace and joy in a new and better plan.
What if, in the waiting, we let go and allowed God to hold our dreams?
Next step: What are you waiting for? Grab a sheet of paper and write down your dream. Then offer it up to God with open hands. Let Him hold the dream and ask Him to give you peace while you wait.
This post is an excerpt from my new book Waiting: A Bible Study on Patience, Hope, and Trust.
Check it out! 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.