THREE THINGS GOD WANTS TO GIVE US WHILE WE WAIT ON HIM

The Bible tells us that God is good to those who wait, but waiting is hard. It is easy to grow impatient and lose hope when we are waiting on God to move. If you are anything like me, you want to do something (anything!)! But what if waiting is more about what God wants to do for us? Do you know what God wants to give to us if we choose to be still and wait on Him?

WHEN GOD MAKES US WAIT

Patience has never been one of my virtues, so I struggle when God asks me to wait.

• I want answers.
• I need relief.
• I desire forward movement.
• I am desperate for something (anything!) to change.

Picture yourself wandering around the airport for a flight that never arrives. Idling at a stoplight that never turns green. Staring at your phone for a call that never comes.

Those are brief snapshots of what it looks like when we are waiting.

Some of us will push ahead trying to make things happen on our own, others of us will wander crying out for answers, and a few of us will lose hope and give up altogether.

Waiting is not for the faint of heart.

HOW WE FEEL WHEN WE ARE WAITING ON GOD

There is the waiting that involves checking our phone, tapping our feet, or watching the clock. This kind of waiting happens at the doctor’s office, in a line at the grocery store, or stuck in rush hour traffic. While we encounter these states of expectant readiness as part of our everyday lives, some of us handle them better than others!

But there is another waiting, isn’t there? There is a waiting that is heavy, burdensome, and exhausting.

• Maybe you are depressed and waiting to find joy and purpose.
• Maybe you are without a job and are waiting to find work.
• Maybe you are sick and waiting for a diagnosis and treatment.
• Maybe you are a woman who wants a family and is waiting to get pregnant.
• Maybe you are single and waiting to find your soul mate.
• Maybe you are a parent of a prodigal waiting for him to come home.
• Maybe you are starting a new venture and waiting for the right doors to open.

Why is waiting so hard to do? Why do we resist it with every fiber of our bodies, minds, and souls?

WHY WAITING ON GOD IS HARD

The simple answer to why waiting is so difficult is that the heart wants what it wants and wants it now.

We do not want to delay pleasure, struggle or suffer, or put in the extra time or effort.

How many of us find it hard to deal with the inconvenience of charging our phones or waiting for an internet connection? We can lose it entirely over the minor interruptions to our schedules and plans.

So it should come as no surprise that when waiting takes hours, days, even years, we lose hope, strength, and faith.

Like Sarah from the Old Testament, we take matters into our own hands and try to manipulate outcomes that align with our desires. Instead of waiting on God, we rush in and try to control the situation.

WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS ABOUT WAITING

Throughout the Bible, we are called to “wait on the Lord.” Even though God promises to bless us for waiting, we have a hard time grasping this truth.

The Lord is good to those who wait for him,to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietlyfor the salvation of the Lord.”  

Lamentations 3:25-26 (ESV)

While waiting, God expects us to seek Him, cry out to Him, and put our trust in Him. The Psalms are full of examples of David waiting on the Lord in anguish and pain. The type of waiting depicted here is not pretty or easy but allows God to intervene on our behalf. While we wait, he provides protection and shows us mercy and love lifting the burden of our waiting.

Here is just a portion of Psalm 40:1-3 (ESV). (Find time this week to read the whole chapter if you can.)

I waited patiently for the Lord;
    he turned to me and heard my cry.
He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
    out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock
    and gave me a firm place to stand.
He put a new song in my mouth,
    a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear the Lord
    and put their trust in him.“

Psalm 40:1-3 (ESV)

God also asks us to wait on him to gain strength and courage, to allow Him to rescue and deliver us.

Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!”  

Psalm 27:14 (ESV)

..But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.“

Isaiah 40:31 (ESV)

WHAT GOD WANTS TO GIVE US WHEN WE WAIT ON HIM

Even though we read those verses and even mentally agree that waiting on God can be a good thing, most of us find it hard to put it into practice.

When we refuse to wait, we are loaded down with backbreaking burdens of worry, doubt, and fear. We miss out on what God desires to give us because we are trying to carry too much on our own. We have no room for the three gifts God wants to provide us with while we learn to wait on Him:

• PROVISION
• PATIENCE
• PEACE

GOD WANTS TO GIVE US HIS PROVISION

When we refuse to wait on God, we are settling for the here and immediate now. We step in and try to take the driver’s wheel, believing that our doing accomplishes more than God can while we wait. Our arrogance fools us into thinking that we know the right path to take and the quickest way to get there. God wants to provide more than we can even hope for or imagine if we can wait on his timing.  

He has made everything beautiful in its time. . .”

Ecclesiastes 3:11 (ESV)

GOD WANTS TO GIVE US PATIENCE

The only way to develop patience is to practice waiting. I know you don’t want to hear that because neither do I! It is like muscle memory–the more you flex patience, the more patient you become. However, this kind of patience is usually forged in the crucible of pain, doubt, and suffering, as the apostle Paul reminds us:

...troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience, in turn, forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next.”  

Romans 5:3-4 (The Message)

GOD WANTS TO GIVE US PEACE

God is always good and knows what is best for us. Do we trust him? When we get anxious and worry because we think he is not moving fast enough to fix our problems, we miss out on the peace He graciously grants while he provides and protects. Jesus never promises to remove the trials and sorrow that waiting in this world can bring–He does, however, promise to deliver peace in the middle of our wilderness waiting.

I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”

John 16:33 (NLT)

WHAT WE SHOULD DO WHILE WE ARE WAITING ON GOD

Beyond accepting what God wants to give us while we wait on Him, we have choices to make regarding both our attitudes and actions while we wait.

We can take away some valuable principles on what we should and should not do while waiting by reading the story of the Israelites, who waited and wandered forty years before reaching the Promised Land. The focus should not be on what we can do in the waiting, but rather on what God will do as we practice waiting on Him.

DON’T WHINE; WATCH TO SEE WHAT GOD IS PROVIDING

Are we missing God’s provisions because we refuse to accept what He is giving us while we wait?

Like the Israelites who complained in the wilderness (see Exodus 15:22-25; Exodus 16:1-4; Exodus 17:1-4), we can miss what God provides for us while we wait by focusing on what we do not have. The Israelites complained about being hungry and thirsty. And even when God provided sweet water from the rock and manna that fell from the sky, they still were not satisfied. Unbelievably, they begged to go back to Egypt, where they were slaves, just so that they could have meat and vegetables.

Before we jump to criticizing the whiny and ungrateful Israelites, we need to check our hearts. We, too, can be so consumed by what we think we lack that we are totally blind to what God provides for us while we wait. The Bible tells us to watch while we wait and look for how God is supplying our needs.

Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.

See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?

I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.”

Isaiah 43:18-19 (NIV)

DON’T WORRY; WELCOME GOD’S PRESENCE

Are we allowing worry and doubt to overtake our thoughts and rob us of God’s presence while we wait?

Even though the Israelites complained and worried, God met all of their needs in the wilderness for forty years. Most importantly, He never left them to wander in the wilderness alone. As a tangible manifestation of God’s continual presence, He gave them the pillar of cloud by day and of fire by night to protect them on their journey (see Exodus 13:21-22). These physical guides kept them safe from the heat of the day and gave them light and warmth at night.

It is natural to feel alone and vulnerable while we wait on God. But it can also be a time where we can lean into God’s presence more than we ever have before. God can use our time of waiting to train us to depend on him for everything instead of relying on ourselves, other people, or material things to meet our needs. When we decide to waste our time worrying in the wilderness instead of waiting on God, we can miss out on what he is doing for us.

Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths.

Lead me in your truth and teach me,

for you are the God of my salvation;

for you I wait all the day long.

Psalm 25:4-5 (ESV)

DON’T WALK AWAY; WALK TOWARDS GOD IN FAITH

Are we growing impatient with God’s timing and His methods while we wait?

The Israelites became anxious, waiting for Moses to come down from talking to God on the mountain. They did not trust God’s timing or methods, so they walked away from the one true God by creating their own idol (see Exodus 32:1-10).

Even though our spirit is willing, our flesh can grow weak while waiting on God to act in the way we want. We can be tempted to walk away and seek temporary fulfillment in success, relationships, or financial security. It is easy to worship these false gods when we get frustrated with God’s plan and his timing. This testing of our faith is something we need to expect and resist during our times of waiting.

GOD IS GOOD TO THOSE WHO WAIT

So if you are impatient and restless, take a moment to pause and remember that God is good to those who wait. Instead of focusing on what you lack while you wait, accept God’s gifts of provision, patience, and peace. These are the three things that He wants to give you while you wait on Him.

Listen to this song by Bethany Dillon to remind yourself that God can do more in your waiting than in your doing.

WE CAN SUPPORT EACH OTHER WHILE WE WAIT

We can become lonely and discouraged while we wait. AT THE CROSSROADS is a place where you can find hope and encouragement as you watch for, welcome, and walk toward God.

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If this post spoke to you in any way, would you mind leaving a comment, sharing it on social media, or even letting a friend know? If you are waiting on God for something, please let me know in the comments so that I pray for you while you wait.