I don’t know about you, but I hate waiting. Waiting in line, waiting in traffic, waiting for service… you name it. I get antsy when I’m just standing around waiting for things to happen. It drives me nuts. Unfortunately waiting is an unavoidable part of life, and like it or not, there are times when waiting is exactly what we are called to do.
Waiting for God’s timing.
When Moses went up to receive The Ten Commandments, the Israelites got tired of waiting for him to come back, and they made a golden calf to worship (Exodus 32).
Abraham and Sarah got tired of waiting for God to give them a son. They tried to take matters into their own hands, and the results were disastrous(Genesis 16).
King Saul didn’t wait for Samuel to offer sacrifices to the Lord, and wound up losing his kingdom (I Samuel 13).
In each of these examples, the people involved needed to do one thing: Wait! No action on their part was necessary or even desirable. They simply needed to trust that God would meet their needs in His time and in His way.
Maybe you’ve struggled with this. Have you ever gotten tired of waiting on God and decided to take action when you shouldn’t? How’d that turn out? I’m guessing, not great.
The important thing is to learn and grow from our mistakes. Odds are, you will face another situation in life where God says to you, “Wait. Be patient.” and you will have another opportunity to obey and see God work.
Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.
~Psalm 27:14
Waiting for help or healing.
Maybe you’re in the midst of a crisis, or you’re dealing with a serious illness. Your mind is racing, you’re looking for solutions, you’re trying to plan your next move…
Time out.
Pause.
God is in control; you are not. He knows what He’s doing. It may be time to wait on Him. It may be that you need to just let go and rest in His arms. Read the following verses, and let them encourage you to trust… and to wait.
I waited patiently for the Lord to help me, and he turned to me and heard my cry.
He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire.
He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along.He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see what he has done and be amazed. They will put their trust in the Lord.~Psalm 40:1-3
So the Lord must wait for you to come to him so he can show you his love and compassion. For the Lord is a faithful God. Blessed are those who wait for his help.
~Isaiah 30:18
The Lord is good to those who depend on him, to those who search for him.
So it is good to wait quietly for salvation from the Lord.
~Lamentations 3:25-26
Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him.
~Psalm 62:5
Waiting for justice.
One of the areas I struggle with, in regards to waiting, is waiting for the judgement of the wicked. It’s hard to watch evil become more prevalent and the wicked prosper. This is nothing new. Thousands of years ago, Asaph struggled with this topic and wrote about it in Psalm 73.
But maybe it’s even more personal for you. Maybe someone has maliciously hurt you, and it seems as if they’ve gotten away with it! That’s tough to accept, and you may be tempted to take action when, instead, you should wait.
If you’re feeling impatient about injustice, read the following passages, and let them give you peace.
Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act.
Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes.Stop being angry! Turn from your rage! Do not lose your temper—it only leads to harm.
For the wicked will be destroyed, but those who trust in the Lord will possess the land.
Soon the wicked will disappear. Though you look for them, they will be gone.
The lowly will possess the land and will live in peace and prosperity.
The wicked plot against the godly; they snarl at them in defiance.
But the Lord just laughs, for he sees their day of judgment coming.
~Psalm 37:7-13
Don’t say, “I will get even for this wrong.” Wait for the Lord to handle the matter.
~Proverbs 20:22
Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say,
“I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the Lord.
~Romans 12:19
Waiting correctly.
If you read back through the passages above, you’ll notice a couple of adverbs that tell us how we should wait: patiently and quietly.
Patience means that we bear whatever provocation, annoyance, misfortune, or pain we are suffering without complaint, loss of temper, irritation or the like. This is not an easy thing to do, but if we keep our focus on God while we wait, and remember all the good things He has done for us, we can wait with patience.
To wait quietly means to be still and know that God is in control. We don’t need to scream to get God’s attention. He has heard your plea. He will answer your prayer (Psalm 6:9). When your mind starts to fill with doubts, be still, and let his comfort renew your hope and cheer (Psalm 94:19).
Waiting is hard, but it’s one way that we demonstrate our love for God and our trust in Him. Whatever you may be going through, just wait. God’s got you. Wait and see.
