We live in a fast-paced world and I don’t know of anyone who enjoys waiting. We don’t like waiting at traffic lights, in grocery store lines,. and especially at the fast food drive-through! We want what we want now.
That attitude of waiting carries over to our attitude of how we “wait on God.” After presenting our request to God, He sometimes calls us aside and bids us to be still and wait (Psalm 27:14): Wait on the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord (Psalm 37:34); Wait for the Lord and keep his ways (Psalm 46:10) and “Be still and know that I am God.”
Do we wait anxiously, angrily, doubting, or twiddling our thumbs? Do we feel the need to charge ahead and help out God to hurry things along? Waiting is not passive but active. It is a quiet, active stillness.
It is always wise to wait on God. First, it is wise to wait because God gives clear direction only when we are willing to wait. Second it is wise to wait because God uses that waiting time to get us in step with His timing. Third, God uses the time of waiting to prepare us for the answer. Fourth, waiting strengthens our faith. Sometimes we want to say, “Okay God, my faith is strong enough so let’s get on with answering the prayer.” But what we need to realize is that God is more interested in our character than in our comfort. Fifth, waiting on God gets our attention and corrects our motives.
God gives us instructions on how he wants us to wait. He wants us to do it actively. We wait while doing what God says to do, until He intervenes or tells us to do something different. We are to wait patiently (Psalm 40:1). We are to wait silently (Psalm 62:1). We are to wait expectantly (Romans 8:19) and we are to wait courageously (Psalm 130:5).
There are rewards for waiting on God and they will only be discovered as God works out his wonderful plan for your life. Continue to listen to Him through a study of the scriptures, prayer and instruction from the Holy Spirit.
