The Bible has a lot to say about the seasons of waiting we will endure during this lifetime. Inevitably, we all will sit in the waiting room at some point. Whether it be in traffic, at the grocery store, for lab results, or test scores…sooner or later, we will find ourselves there. W.A.I.T.I️.N.G. When will the waiting end?
The Uncertainty of Waiting
You may currently be in a season of waiting that is beyond your control. There is nothing that you can do to change your current circumstances. Unchangeable. Immovable. Often leads to Unbearable.
When the waiting leads to a place where we feel the ground slipping beneath our feet, our true nature shows. Impatience busts out. Longings sting deeper. Discontentment fights for a voice. Addictions numb the pain. Busyness serves as a distraction. It is at these moments where our sin becomes visible…for we begin to see all the things we put our trust in other than God.
God Is At Work
Sanctifying waits are a work of God. It is often in this season that God’s accomplishments are mighty. The Master Surgeon dissects our hearts, laying bare what is hidden deep within. In times where it doesn’t seem like God is doing anything at all, He is there the most. Orchestrating our details in the shadows. Remember the stories of Esther and Ruth? When it looks like God had abandoned them? All the while, God was there. Working and moving and doing…even though we can’t readily see Him.
It is during the wait that we learn to endure. Endurance produces godly character if we allow it to do a work within. It sifts out the sluff in our lives and molds us more into the image of Jesus. Rather than yearning for the current waiting to end, why not invite God into the present? We often become so pre-occupied with the next best thing that we miss out on what God has for us right now.
Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. Rom. 5:3-5
Rather than trying to rush God along, and feeling the emotion of discontent beat the drum loudly…lean into what He has for you at this very moment. Confess what is bothering you. Trust me, He is big enough to handle it. Surrender all your worries to HIm. God has created waiting seasons for us to know Him. The blessed beauty of waiting ultimately produces character…and character produces hope.
Prayer: Dear Jesus, please come sit with me in the waiting room. I️ surrender my plans and dreams to You. Accomplish your purpose within me. Amen.