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Waiting. Waiting. And
more waiting. Three of the most challenging things I have to do in life.
Waiting is not my forte.
Learning to wait on God is even harder. It truly takes much of yourself
physically, emotionally, and spiritually. These past few years I have had to
wait for so many things. I honestly do not think I can list all of them—there
are a ton. I am by no means an expert at waiting. However, here are 7 things I have
discovered about being in God’s waiting room:
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| W A I T I N G contently in prayer and peace |
> W. hat Is Waiting?
Some people think, oh waiting is so easy, we don’t have to do anything, well that is
the point, we cannot do anything and instead we have to let someone else do it
for us. However, I would not call waiting easy. Many times we are control
freaks and want things to happen immediately.
Waiting is not sitting around on your rear all day
and just waiting for God to show up and do something in your life. Waiting starts with the attitude and the
heart. It is a mindset of letting go and letting God. It is actively seeking
His face always, but being willing to wait on Him for answers while living out
the rest of our life to the fullest. It is being
content with life just as it is in this moment. Remember to become content
while waiting.
> A. sk For Guidance
For me, waiting is literally one of the hardest and
most difficult things I have to do. Sometimes I am waiting for days, other
times its months, and I have prayers that have been on my heart for years and God
is still answering them with—wait.
Part of waiting is being willing to ask God for patience and wisdom through
this process. Yes, He is making us wait for whatever reason, but He also gives us
these opportunities of waiting to draw nearer to Himself and realize that we
cannot do life on our own. He wants the best for us and with our selfish hearts
it is hard for Him to just give us what we want when we want it. Instead, He
has to grow us closer to Himself. He is patient until we are ready and mature
enough to graciously receive whatever it is we are waiting on.
> I. nvest In Prayer
Waiting calls for more prayer. Plain and simple.
Warning: mini story ahead. I was planning on completely filling up my
summer with running around the country (and out of it) doing different things.
Yah for adventures. One of the plans was to attend a Summit Ministries
Conference in CO. There are many dates for this conferences and as we got
closer to the sign up deadline, I couldn’t decide which date to go with. One of
them I had close friends going and the other one I just really felt God tugging
my heart to go. However, the latter one I really wanted to go to suddenly
filled up. I momentarily panicked but went ahead and signed up for the other
conference date that also worked. Afterwards I said, “God, this one is
completely out of my hands. I signed up and I would really like to go to the conference
that I feel you pushing me towards. I am on the waiting list for that conference but there is
nothing I can do about it. This is all You.” I knew that in this situation, all
I could do is wait and see what God’s will for my summer is. Well I waited and
it was a struggle. I prayed. And prayed some more. I wanted to have a set schedule
but I couldn’t yet. A few weeks later I was printing off Spanish homework when I
got the call—I’m officially into the conference date I wanted. It was out of
the blue and I was completely taken by surprise. It was such a joyful and rewarding
feeling. I had waited for weeks not knowing the outcome. However, I had peace
knowing that God completely had this under control. He knew what was best and I
relied on Him and His timing to show that to me.
Investing in prayer means that when we have something
we are waiting on, do not pray once and simply drop the subject waiting until
something happens. No way. We need to
pray
and petition it to God because
He uses
these situations to show us His glory and to grow us up. He will teach and
show us amazing things that were completely off our radar.
1 Thessalonians 5:17-18, “Pray
without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in
Christ Jesus.” (NASAB)
> T. akes Time
Waiting is the opposite of going. Patience is key. I have asked God so
many times why He is making me wait because “I don’t have time to wait”. Truth
be told that from that statement that I obviously need more practice with
patience and waiting. Waiting is not waiting if you try to intervene and do something
on your own power because God is not showing up when you want Him to. God is on
His own time schedule and He will do things when He is ready and when He knows
that you are as well. Remember to stay patience.
> I. nsignificant Insecurities
Waiting can sometimes seem discouraging. We think that
God will never come and answer our prayers. What
if He doesn’t hear me? What if He doesn’t care? What if…? All of these
questions, concerns and worries are ridiculous. They are not even worth the effort
of saying.
God will answer us. It may not be in the way we
imagined or in the time frame we wanted, but He always answers to those who
call upon His name and seek His face.
Matthew 7:7-8 "Ask, and it will
be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For
everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it
will be opened.” (NASAB)
If we are going after God and not the worldly
things of this life, this verse will become a reality in our lives.
> N. ever Give Up
I have learned that anything in life that is worth having
or worth experiencing will not come easy at all. I embrace those struggles
because without them, life would be bla. Nothing would have worth because it
was so easily obtained.
Stay strong when the going gets tough and lean on
the Rock. Remember that failure builds character.
Learning (or failing) at patience while waiting is not easy, it will take time,
but the lessons you learn along the way are worth it. Never give up on God or prayer.
> G. od Is Good
No matter what happens, God is still God and He is always good. I have
slowly learned this and seen it play out in my life time and time again. In the
midst of a situation it may not seem that God is in control and sometimes we
want to freak out, but we have to remember that God has a master plan. He
wants to bless you beyond your wildest thoughts.
Ephesians 3:20-21, “Now to Him who is
able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to
the power that works within us. To
Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever
and ever. Amen.” (NASAB)
Just because you asked God to do something in your
life and you are waiting and praying for that thing does not mean that God is
going to swoop down after you’ve waiting long enough and do it. He may and He
may not. He does things according to His plan and His purpose.
I do not know His plan, and I am okay with that. I
do know that nothing happens by accident. I know that each waiting room I come
to in life I meant for me to learn something from. I know that I will have to
wait for a lot of things in life. I am content with that because if I tried to
live life solely on my own strength I know that I would fail tremendously. I
trust God to work out each area of my life if I am faithful to pray and serve
Him.
God truly works all
things for good to those who love and honor Him.
If you are struggling
waiting remember:
To be content with
waiting
To ask for patience
To invest in prayer for
your situation
It will take time
Never doubt
Never give up
God is always good
Blessings in your waiting
room,
~Gracie
