Learning How to Wait

We all know what it’s like to wait. Waiting for our fast-food order, waiting for our family to finish getting dressed to go somewhere, waiting for the Wi-Fi to load, waiting for people to email or text back a response... But what about those seasons of waiting?

            Perhaps you’re waiting to hear back from publishers or about your job interview. Maybe you’re waiting for a prayer to be answered, for the healing of a loved one, or for the right person to come along.

            Have you ever considered the fact that how you wait might just be more important than how long you have to wait? How you wait is ultimately up to you, but it can greatly help the difficulty of the wait. Here are three ways to make the waiting easier while glorifying God.

1. Praise God!

Nothing will get you through a hard time like praising God. Praise takes our focus off our problems and worries and fixates it on the One Who already has the solutions. You don’t have to wait for your prayer to be answered or for your breakthrough to happen; praise God in whatever season you’re in!

No matter what happens, nothing can change the fact that our King is still worthy of all praise.

2. Don't Complain!

I know how hard this one is to live by, but I’ve also experienced the remarkable peace of God when I choose not to grumble about my circumstances and trust that God put me in that place for a reason.

One thing I’ve learned is just how powerful the waiting seasons of life can be if we have the right attitude towards them.

Sometimes God will ask us to wait because there are things He wants to show or teach us before we go on to the next season. There are some lessons that are best learned in the waiting.

Perhaps God is asking us to wait because He wants to see how well we will trust Him.

Other times, God will allow us to wait because there are some things that we need to deal with in our own selves before we enter our next season of life.

If we were honest, most of us would probably say that we complain a lot. Maybe our complaining is part of the reason that God won’t yet take us to where He wants us.

If you never stop complaining about what you don’t have or how you never get a break, how can you be so sure your problems will disappear when you do get your way?

If you can find things to constantly complain about in the so-called “little” that you have, chances are that you’ll find more to complain about when God blesses you with more.

As Luke 16:10 says, “He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much” (NKJV).

Unless we quit grumbling and moping around, God may just make us wait longer until He sees that our joy isn’t dependent on what we do or don’t have. Rather, our joy should be found in Christ alone.

When we can display that joy even during the long waits, it shows that we trust God’s timing and will. It means we are not placing our desires above God’s will by getting upset when we don’t get what we want when we want it.

Please understand that our God is not a mean and impatient God. He is entirely loving and patient with us – more than we deserve! He doesn’t try to withhold blessings from us just out of spite but wants to bless us and prosper us.

Yet many times, it’s our own attitudes that keep us from walking in what God has for us.

A pastor once explained, “You are not in a position for God to promote you if you are not the best you can be right where you are.”

This statement is not promoting a works-based salvation. It merely says that we should try to be the best we can be in any season of life.

God won’t give you more if you cannot handle what you have right now with a good attitude. So, choose to “bloom where you’re planted.” Look around and see all that God has already blessed you with.

The Lord sees your heart and rewards those who are faithful to Him (see 1 Samuel 26:23).

3. Don't Lose Hope!

I know how discouraging waiting can be, especially long waits. But don’t give up! If God has promised it, it will come to pass. He is faithful to accomplish what He starts (see Philippians 1:6), and never breaks a single promise.

Lamentations 3:25 says, “The Lord is good unto them that wait for Him, to the soul that seeketh Him” (KJV).

Just keep hoping, trusting, and being faithful. The Lord’s timing is always perfect. As Isaiah says, “But those who wait on 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” (40:31, NKJV).

Conclusion

            Waiting is hard. But by praising God, not complaining, not losing hope, and having a good attitude, we can be faithful to glorify God even in the waiting. His plans are always good (see Jeremiah 29:11) and are worth waiting for.

            As David wrote in Psalm 27:14, “wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the Lord!” (NKJV).

            Let’s do it together.

            -Olivia

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Liked this week's post? Leave a comment below and share this post with a friend! Also, check out the Spotify playlist I made for those seasons of waiting here.