The Waiting Game
The Waiting Game
I waited patiently for the Lord, and He turned to me and heard my cry for help. (Ps. 40:1)
Waiting Is Not Unusual
We spend a lot of our lives waiting. Waiting in traffic. Waiting at the doctor’s office, the post office, or (heaven help us) the DMV. Most of this kind of waiting seems like a waste of time. It feels frustrating and fruitless to us—and it often is, although it can be an opportunity to pray for patience and for the people around us. (Tip: Always have a book with you. When you’re stuck waiting somewhere, redeem the time by reading. Your stress level will go down, and your wisdom level will go up.)
No one can deny that waiting is a big part of life. And not just the trivial, inconvenient kind of waiting, but waiting for the big, important things—things we believe God desires to bring about and eventually will in His time.
Waiting Is Not Doing Nothing
As Psalm 40:1 says, we’re to wait “patiently.” This doesn’t mean passively though. It’s active waiting. It’s a trusting, praying, working, believing kind of waiting that means doing everything possible to align our desires with His, knowing full well that He is ultimately in control and that His timing is perfect. As we wait patiently, we are assured that God hears our cries for help. And because we know His character—wise and good—we know He knows what He’s doing and will bring about the best result at the best possible time.
Bottom Line
Waiting is difficult. It can seem like God has forgotten about us. He hasn’t though. And as we learn to wait patiently, our faith and our character grow.