Waiting is not a fun thing to do. Whether you are waiting in line or waiting for someone to do something or waiting for your results or some news, it’s still not something anyone looks forward to. I’ve never heard anyone say “I’m so excited to wait!” If it can be avoided, I want to avoid it.
That’s why waiting on God is not an easy task. There’s usually no time-frame or end-date to the waiting, as far as we know. You just have to trust that God knows what’s up and that when the time is right, He will deliver.
I once heard this analogy that made my heart rest a little. If you ordered steak at a restaurant, would you expect it to be ready at the same time as someone at another table who ordered a salad?
When you say you trust God, that means you have to trust His timing as well. As human beings we like certainty, as a result we like to feel like we are in control all the time. To a certain extent we are and yet we aren’t. I can control how I react to a situation or how I feel about something or what I think. What I can’t always do is control the situation itself. For instance you can’t make someone love you if they don’t (thank you Adele,) but you can control how you deal with such a situation. Speaking of Adele, she might have endured pain and misery because of a breakup but it caused her to write songs about it and look where she is now. What I’m trying to get at is that if you trust God and wait on him, He will turn your hurts into bliss.
Since waiting is not an easy thing, what can you be doing in the meantime? “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you” Matthew 6 vs 33. Seek God. Get to know God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit by reading your Bible and spending time with them. I’m assuming that since you’re waiting you’ve already prayed about what you’re hoping for, that you already have a vision of what you want. Believe that it is already on its way and get to know your maker. Grow as a Christian and as an individual and allow God to prepare you for whatever it is you’re hoping for.
Ask God questions if you have any and He will answer. Whether through the Bible, through other people, through something we see, God will answer in a way that you will know He answered you.
I asked God the other day about a situation I found myself in and the next morning I was watching a Joel Osteen sermon and he said “that situation you’re going through, (mentioning exactly what I had asked God about) it is not permanent.” He might have been preaching a sermon like any other but God used his words to answer me. So whether it’s wanting to know if we should or shouldn’t do something or just wanting clarification, if you ask God, He will answer if you will listen.
If it helps, remember you’re not alone. There are things I’ve prayed for and they happen in a short time and there are things I prayed for years ago that I’m still waiting on God for. I’m excited because I ordered steak and I know it’s on the way. Yes, there are days where I wish I could just get what I want already but knowing how much God loves me let’s me know when the time is right, He will “give me the desires of my heart.” Some of those desires I’m even scared to tell people about, God knows my heart though and His word says He will give them to me so I trust that. In fact, knowing God, it will be even better than what I expected.
And if waiting is still proving difficult, this quote I once heard referenced by Steven Furtick might put things in perspective “The only thing worse than waiting on God is wishing you had waited.”
