Thanksgiving in Times of Waiting - Your Nightly Prayer - November 9th
Thanksgiving in Times of Waiting
Your Nightly Prayer
by Clarence Haynes Jr.
TONIGHT’S SCRIPTURE
“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” - Romans 12:12
SOMETHING TO PONDER
If there is one thing you should know about me, it’s that I truly, deeply despise waiting in lines. When I walk into a store, pull up to a car wash, or go to the post office, if there is a line, my first instinct is to abandon the mission entirely and come back later. It’s not my proudest quality, but it’s an honest one.
However, sometimes leaving isn’t an option, and I’m forced to endure the waiting. One place that seems to specialize in this form of torture, a place that forces me to wait, despite how I feel about it, is the Department of Motor Vehicles, or the DMV.
Whenever I have to make that dreaded trip, the first thing I wonder is, How long will this take? After arriving and getting my assigned number, let’s say B-52, the great waiting game begins. Once I find a seat, and as I settle in, I do mental gymnastics. I count how many numbers are between mine and the one currently being served. Then, I try to time how long each person is taking at the counter. I’m doing complex calculations in my head, trying to estimate my release time. Honestly, I don’t know if this little exercise helps, but at least it gives me something to do as I stare at the clock on the wall, praying this experience will be over sooner rather than later. I want all the other impatient people out there to say amen because I know you get me.
Being impatient while at the DMV is one thing. Being impatient while waiting on God is something entirely different. While you can make a reasonable best guess when your number will be called at the DMV, sometimes you don’t know when God is going to address your situation. This gap between when you pray and when God answers is something I call the waiting place. For many of us, this is the most challenging and frustrating aspect of our faith journey.
Faith at the beginning of a trial is often high. We think, I just prayed, and God is going to come through any minute now! But as time stretches on, and we don’t see an answer or have any clue when it will come, it’s normal for worry, fear, and doubt to creep in. The silence can be deafening. What this teaches me, time and time again, is that waiting is not an interruption to the journey; waiting is part of the journey.
God’s timeline has always differed from ours. Consider these biblical waiting rooms:
-God revealed to Joseph through a dream that his brothers would one day bow down to him. He delivered on that promise… 22 years later, after betrayal, slavery, and imprisonment.
-God promised Abraham and Sarah a son, the heir through whom he would bless the nations. He delivered on his promise, too… 25 years later, when they were well past their childbearing years.
-In the Garden of Eden, after the fall, God promised a coming Messiah who would crush the serpent’s head. God fulfilled that one as well… roughly 4,000 years later, in a humble manger in Bethlehem.
I hope you see the pattern here. God makes promises, and he always delivers on them. It’s just that sometimes, we are required to wait before we see them come to pass.
I hope you see a pattern developing here. God makes promises, and he delivers on them. It’s just that sometimes you must wait before you see them come to pass.
Since waiting is part of the process, we must learn how to wait effectively. Waiting does not mean being passive, but focusing on things you can do to endure in this season. In Romans 12:12, Paul gives us the best way to wait.
Be joyful. Be patient. Be faithful.
The way you can do this is by continuing in your thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is the fuel for joy, patience, and faithfulness. Thanksgiving maintains your joy as you remember all the things God has already done for you. It gives you patience for the future because your memory of his past faithfulness assures you he will do it again. Finally, it helps you remain faithful in prayer, because you know God never has and never will forsake you.
Sometimes, in the lonely depths of the waiting place, a little thanksgiving can go a long way. Now, I’m still trying to figure out how to apply this at the DMV, but in our walk with the Lord, it’s a game-changer..
YOUR NIGHTLY PRAYER
Father,
As I wait, remind me that your delays don’t mean you have not seen or heard me. Help me trust your timing because sometimes the waiting is because I am not ready for what I asked for, even though I believe I am. Let my confidence always be in you, knowing you have my best interests at heart. You are not trying to harm me, but planning what is best for me. With this in mind, let me always offer thanksgiving even in waiting, knowing that you will come through, even if it requires me to wait a little longer.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
THREE THINGS TO MEDITATE UPON
1. Thanksgiving in the waiting place is the only way to navigate that space.
2. Keep a journal of all the times God has come through for you. This will help you when you are waiting.
3. God’s delays may be puzzling, but the results are always good.
Reflect on tonight’s prayer and share how God met you there. Join the Your Nightly Prayer discussion on the Crosswalk Forum.
Photo Credit: Getty/SARINYAPINNGAM
He is the author of The Pursuit of Purpose, which helps readers understand how God leads them into his will, and the author of The Pursuit of Victory: How To Conquer Your Greatest Challenges and Win In Your Christian Life. Clarence is also committed to helping 10,000 people learn how to study the Bible and has released his first course, Bible Study Basics, to achieve that goal. To learn more about his ministry and resources, please visit clarencehaynes.com.
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