How Are You Waiting?

No one wants to wait. Waiting has to be one of the most difficult aspects of humanity, but it is innately human. Everyone has to wait at some point or another. The teenager has to wait to be able to drive. The parents have to wait to meet their newborn baby. The person with a failing kidney has to wait for a transplant. Some wait for good news and others wait for bad news. But we all wait.

Scripture is full of people who waited. David was anointed to be the next King of Israel when he was young, but he didn’t head immediately from the fields to the palace. There were years of patience and difficulties to overcome. Joseph had a dream that all of his family would bow down before him. Then the same family sold him into slavery, and he waited for years to see all that God had for Him. Even Jesus spent most of His life waiting. For 30 years of His life, all the Bible says about him is that he grew in wisdom and stature and favor with God and man, and then his ministry began.

Jesus grew in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and all the people. - Luke 2:52 NLT

The question is not “will we wait?” That is inevitable. The question is “how will we wait?” Jesus did not waste the years before His ministry began. He used that time to grow and prepare for what was to come. Now this is important because God has a purpose and a plan for our waiting. Often there is a blessing on the other side of waiting, and there are some things that God wants to teach us that we can only learn in the waiting. 

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.
Isaiah 40:31 NKJV


REFLECT: What are some things God has shown you in seasons of waiting?

So how will you wait? If you are like me, you may have to resist the urge to take matters into your own hands and rush to the finish line. This may seem like a great option. Fast food sounds great at the moment. If you are hungry, why take the time to cook a home cooked meal with fresh vegetables and healthy nutrition when you can just go to Mcdonalds? The problem is that rushing the process always comes with a sacrifice. If you eat fast food long enough, your health will deteriorate. And we are talking about what God has for our life, which means there is a much deeper weight than what’s for dinner. So don’t rush. Don’t sacrifice now for later. Wait. See what God is doing in your season of waiting, because how you wait matters.

PRAY: Ask God to show you what you can learn in the your season of waiting. Listen to the Holy Spirit’s leading. When it is time to move He will always be with you.

JOURNAL: Write out some ways that you can wait with a purpose. Whether it is a daily reminder that God has not left you or prompts to help you get through your day, small things can be essential when you are trying to cultivate patience.
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