“But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
Isaiah 40:31 (NIV)
“Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.”
Psalm 27:14 (NIV)
The season of stillness and silence during a period of waiting does not always have to be a painful or idle process, in fact, how we wait is incredibly important for our personal, emotional and mental growth and development. More importantly, our relationship with, faith in and perception of God enhances if we ask for godly wisdom (James 1:5) so that we wait well.
Whilst God cares about what we care about (1 Peter 5:7) and he encourages us to pray continuously (1 Thessalonians 5:17), it is important that we are aware of what we are fixating our focus on whilst we wait, as we do not want to fall into the trap of idolising the gift, spouse, house, miracle, job, child that we are praying and waiting for, and therefore, forgetting about the who: God, the miracle-worker, promise-keeping provider.
There are several common tendencies that occur when it appears that what we are waiting for is taking too long: weariness, murmuring, hostility, pride, doubt, comparison and perhaps the “I’ll just do it myself”. Sometimes we even go around the mountain asking for things we already have such as peace (John 16:33; 1 Corinthians 1:3), however, the who during this period should be our focus and the how should be our attitude.
So, how should one wait?
– Pray, Rejoice, Give Thanks without Ceasing –
“in every situation [no matter what the circumstances] be thankful and continually give thanks to God; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus”
1 Thessalonians 5:18 (AMP)
Our Father is a good father; acknowledge him for who he is and for what he has already done. Even within the waiting season, he is right there. meeting our every needs so there is never nothing to thank Him for. He promises to fight for us (defender); meeting our every needs (provider); love us with an everlasting love (loving-kind, compassionate God) and he shall be exalted (Psalms 46:10).
“Rejoice in the Lord always [delight, take pleasure in Him]; again I will say, rejoice! 5 Let your gentle spirit [your graciousness, unselfishness, mercy, tolerance, and patience] be known to all people. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious or worried about anything, but in everything [every circumstance and situation] by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, continue to make your [specific] requests known to God£
Philippians 4:4-6 (AMP)
– Think about what you are thinking about –
Finally, believers, whatever is true, whatever is honourable and worthy of respect, whatever is right and confirmed by God’s word, whatever is pure and wholesome, whatever is lovely and brings peace, whatever is admirable and of good repute; if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think continually on these things [centre your mind on them, and implant them in your heart]
Philippians 4:8 (AMP)
“For as he thinks in his heart, so is he…”
Proverbs 23:7 (NKJV)
Be aware of your thoughts; what are your thoughts telling you? About you.. about God? What is fuelling your thoughts? Are they encouraging you to remain hopeful in God that even though you are yet to see it, God is faithful to fulfil his will and even if what you are asking for does not happen, you believe that God’s plan is good and will prevail?
Write your thoughts down and submit them to God. Ask that he will renew your mind (Roman 12:2) and transform your way of thinking so that it does not conform to the patterns of this world
– Worship God –
“Sing to the LORD, all the earth; proclaim his salvation day after day…
Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and joy are in his dwelling place. Ascribe to the LORD, all you families of nations, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength. Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; bring an offering and come before him. Worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness. Tremble before him, all the earth! The world is firmly established; it cannot be moved. Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let them say among the nations, “The LORD reigns!”
1 Chronicles 16:23, 27-31 (NIV)
Lifting his name higher than what it is we are waiting for acknowledges Him for who he is. The posture of our heart is so key as we come before him with full reverence and respect of the Sovereign King. Whether we have or lack, he is worthy of worship.
– Seek God –
“O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You. In a dry and thirsty land, Where there is no water.”
Psalms 63:1 (NKJV)
This additional time, until what we are asking for occupies our time and attention, is perfect for spending time with God. It will only be a matter of time before the spouse wants our attention, the child needs our energy, the car needs to be taken to the mechanics, the house needs to be cleaned – all these things are good for us to ask for but until they come and we have freedom, let us use that time to spend time with God.
– Remain Productive –
So waiting, as we said, does not mean idleness; we have a duty to do what God graces us to do. Whilst we wait for the job, we can still build our skillset, network and develop new knowledge to help edify us in the role; whilst we wait for the child, we can still volunteer with children’s charities or in Sunday school or help a family/friend. God does his part, but we also have our part and it certainly isn’t to sit around and wait for the blessing to fall from the sky. We are blessed and called to be fruitful (Genesis 1:28)
Ever heard of the serenity prayer by American theologian Reinold Nieuhr?
God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.
– Serve Others –
“For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another”
Galatians 5:13 (ESV)
“For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Mark 10:45
Whilst we are waiting, there is someone else who could do with some help, support, encouragement, guidance and friendship. It could be as small as an expression of kindness through your smile, morning greets – to giving someone your seat, opening the door, helping a lady with her buggy up or down the stairs – to listening to a friend and giving them godly advice – to feeding the homeless and giving to the poor – to babysitting your family member’s children so that they can have time to rest and retreat. The act of service through love (not expecting anything back nor doing it out of obligation or resentment but a desire to do good because of God’s love for you) helps to acknowledge God in the midst of the waiting season, i.e. despite not having what I ask for, God is so good to me, that with what I do have through him, I can use it to help others
God may delay his promises but he does not deny
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