Throughout the Bible God speaks repeatedly about waiting:
“The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.” Lamentations 3:25
“Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!” Psalm 27:14
“But they who wait for 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
And many many more…
Yet, I’m sure if you’re anything like me, seasons of waiting can be a time of doubt, discouragement and uncertainty. However, I don’t believe that God would instruct us to wait if there was not a purpose in it. Here, I will share three lessons that I am learning in my personal experience of waiting.
Be active in your waiting
Even in our waiting, life can be filled with fulfilling and valuable days. I know so often I can focus on my desired outcome and change of circumstances, that I forget to live in the present moment. Jim Elliot said “Wherever you are, be all there,” and I think this captures it perfectly. Though it is good to look hopefully towards the future, it is just as important to live intentionally every day – even in the seemingly insignificant days. While you navigate through life to get to the place you long for, actively seek out God’s presence and his purpose in where he has placed you at the present time. Give your heart and soul to what God is doing in your life right now. Even while you wait, perhaps in circumstances you thought you’d never be in or that you’d be out of by now, “Whatever you do, work at it with all with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters” (Colossians 3:23).
Trust in God’s providence
I have recently just finished reading Chasing Contentment by Erik Raymond and in this book, he defines contentment as “the inward, gracious, quiet spirit that joyfully rests in God’s providence.” (I would highly recommend this book for anyone who finds themselves in a discontented season of their life). Resting in God’s providence means trusting that He is sovereign – that He governs and upholds all things by his infinite power. Trusting in God’s providence is not always easy, especially when life looks very different to that which we’d envisioned for ourselves, yet Proverbs 3:5-6 instructs us to “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.” Trusting God while you wait requires patience, perseverance and perspective – in the waiting God changes us for our good and to bring glory to Him. God knows exactly what He is doing and when I take a step back I can remind myself that there’s no one’s hands I’d rather be in than the all-knowing, all-loving and all-powerful God of the universe.
Be thankful in all circumstances
When we become so busy focusing on the place that we want to get to and wish we already were, we can become discontent in our waiting. Yet, the Bible tells us that every day is worth rejoicing in “This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24). While you wait and work to get to where you want to be, enjoy the abundant blessings all around you. The list of things that we have to be thankful for is endless; friendships, church, grace, to name but a few. I know that all too often my heart can become heavy with discontentment, yet if I take the time to recall all that God has done for me and the opportunities that I’ve been able to embrace over the years I can’t help but realign my heart attitude to gratitude. There is no doubt that waiting is hard, hardships and struggle are real and inevitable but God remains faithful, He is working in the hard times and He loves us unconditionally; and for that I am extremely thankful.
Waiting has and continues to be a very real and challenging part of my life, yet I am trying to be thankful for the opportunity to wholly trust and rest in God’s providence rather than trying to do this on my own. Whatever you are waiting for right now, commit it to the Lord and trust that in His perfect timing He will release it to you, and in the mean time live every day with passion and perseverance.
Waiting is never without purpose.
BY: Claire Acheson
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