Don’t you just hate waiting? I know I do. I can’t handle the awkwardness. Let’s be real, nobody enjoys WAITING.
Waiting is the unavoidable reality that we cannot yet have what it is we want.
“NOT YET.”
It’s why we weave in and out of traffic, jump from one checkout line to the next, and lose our minds when we hear, “Thanks for calling Dominoes, can you please hold?”
Waiting is hard because it robs us of one thing we want more than anything else, “control.”
If anyone gets it, it’s Disney. You never have to wonder how long you will wait. When you walk up to the line of an attraction, there is a sign that says, “Your wait time is 3 days!” Hey, at least you know!
How great would it be to have signs like that in life?
Need a spouse? Your wait time is 6 months!
Want your kids to get it together? Your wait time is 12 months.
Looking for a new job? Your wait time is 18 months!
Waiting would be so much easier if you knew when to expect the wait time to end. That empty space between “NOT YET” and “NOW” is pretty excruciating, and it reminds us that there’s a chance that it may not happen. I’ve said for years that the biggest enemy of our dreams is time.
The problem with waiting is that we get tired and are tempted to stop trusting. Then we often get stupid and try to take matters in our own hands. That rarely works out well!
So, what should we do when we are waiting? I’ll tell you, but before I do, I’m going to warn you: It’s easier to say it than to live it.
Expect God to move, trust Him in the process, and watch your faith grow.
Expect God to move.
God cares about you and what you are facing. All throughout Scripture we are encouraged to pray with an expectation that He will respond.
Philippians 4:6-7 is one of my favorite verses of Scripture. I probably preach more about this passage than any other. When you walk into my house, this verse is displayed in the most prominent place in my living room, serving as a reminder that this is the way we want to live as a family.
Philippians 4:6-7 (NLT)
6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
When we pray, it doesn’t mean that He will always respond in the way that you think He should. That’s where it gets a little tough. Ok, that’s an understatement. That’s where sometimes it is excruciating.
Recently in a conversation with a mentor, I asked this question: “What do you do when you feel like you are in a crisis of faith?” Let’s just say I was “asking for a friend.” He gave me three great statements to proclaim in those moments when my faith is shaken… I mean when my friend’s faith is shaken.
I believe that He can, pray that He will, and even if He chooses not to, I will trust Him.
Trust Him in the process.
If there is anything that I have learned in my life, it’s that He is a God who can always be trusted.
I don’t know why He chooses to heal some people while on this earth and others He does not. I’m not sure why He does not complete the checklist that I often lift up to Him in prayer. His ways are definitely not my ways and His thoughts are WAY HIGHER than my thoughts.
That’s why we are challenged in Proverbs 3:5-6, to lean on His understanding and not our own.
Proverbs 3:5-6 (NLT)
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. 6 Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.
Here’s my reality. The more I know about Him and the longer I walk with Him, the more questions I seem to have.
Sometimes I ask, “God, are you listening? Do you see me? Do you realize what we are going through here? Do you even care? Can’t you see that I’m waiting!”
Here’s what I’m learning each and every day:
Just because I’m waiting doesn’t mean that God isn’t working.
I wish I could tell you that the moment you trust God, you can expect your your wait time to end. I wish I could tell you that your season is complete and that your situation is going to drastically change.
I can’t. But, here’s what I know:
God is with you.
You are not alone.
You have hope.
You can go on.
You can face this situation.
You can have peace.
Watch your faith grow.
We have an incredible team at Northpark Church that leads with love and encouragement. One of our team members recently sent a powerful reminder to our staff and it ties all of these rambling thoughts together quite well.
This week I was reminded that God deserves our trust no matter what our eyes can see, our hearts can understand, or our minds can predict.
Is it easy? No, not always.
But is it much better than the alternative? Yes.
And is it worth it? Yes again.
When I find myself frustrated, tired, or impatient, I want to lean even more into prayer, not away from it. I know when I talk to Him, His response is always guidance and grace. It’s not always as clear or quick as I would like, but He gives it in His perfect way and time nonetheless.
I want to operate in joy and gratitude in all I do, and God – He is the source of both!
So today, let’s remind people of this in all we say and do. No matter what we currently FEEL, what we KNOW is that God is:
Faithful and working, even when we don’t see it.
A light that CANNOT be extinguished in whatever darkness we face.
A comforter and a conqueror.
A friend and a father.
Good.
-Stephanie Nobles
