You know that feeling when you’re desperately waiting for your phone to charge? You’re all out of battery, and you’ve got it plugged in, but now you’re stuck waiting. Even if it’s just a matter of minutes (and it’s just a phone, after all), you can’t help but feel a twinge of impatience creeping in. Waiting is something most of us struggle with, whether it’s waiting for fast food or behind a slow car in the fast lane. We’re always in a rush to get to the next place or the next thing.
This impatience often extends to our spiritual lives. We’re always hurrying to get to the next big thing, to see results quickly. But here’s the catch: while we’re in a hurry, it seems that God, in His own divine wisdom, is usually not in a rush. The Scriptures often describe Him as slow and deliberate in His actions. It appears that He always has a plan and a purpose for everything, including the waiting periods in our lives.
The frustration we feel while waiting often comes from not having all the details. From our perspective, we think we have it all figured out, and we want God to move according to our schedule. But God rarely adheres to our timetable, and that’s when discouragement can creep in. If we’re not careful, we might even start thinking that God is indifferent or angry with us.
In the Gospels, we can see this same impatience happening to Mary and Martha as they wait for Jesus to come and heal their brother, Lazarus. When Jesus finally arrives, He is accused of taking too long.
God always has good reasons for making us wait. Waiting is a part of life, and it’s one of God’s tools for developing us as individuals. The Bible is full of stories of people who had to wait on God, including Noah, Abraham, Moses, Joseph, David, Daniel, Jesus, Paul, and countless others.
As we examine the lives of these remarkable individuals, we can uncover five reasons why God often asks us to wait:
- Waiting Reveals Our True Motives Waiting has a way of revealing what’s really in our hearts. People with ulterior motives won’t wait for long because they aren’t interested in the commitment it takes to see something through. They’re more focused on quick gains and personal success. Often, our good intentions are overshadowed by the desire to make a name for ourselves or satisfy our egos. It’s a harsh truth, but one worth acknowledging.
- Waiting Builds Patience Patience, whether in small things or larger matters, is a valuable character trait. If we can’t wait for God to act in small things, it’s unlikely we’ll be patient in more significant situations. Sometimes, our perspective is skewed. We might prioritize finances and possessions, while God values the impact we have on people’s lives.
- Waiting Builds Anticipation Think about why children get so excited about Christmas. The wait builds anticipation. The longer we have to wait for something, the more we tend to appreciate it. Waiting can make us treasure what we receive more than we would if it came instantly. Personal experience has shown that waiting for something significant can make us cherish it all the more.
- Waiting Transforms Our Character Waiting has the power to smooth out the rough edges of our personalities. Take the story of Moses, for example. Before he became a great leader, he had to wait for 40 years in the desert. This period of waiting transformed his character. As a young man, Moses was impulsive and impatient, even going as far as killing a man and hiding the body. But during his time in the wilderness, he learned to do things God’s way and in God’s timing. Waiting was the key to his transformation.
- Waiting Builds Intimacy and Dependency on God The common thread among the great figures in the Bible is that their success was directly tied to their intimacy and dependency on God. For them, a relationship with God wasn’t a shortcut to riches; it was a matter of life and death. Waiting during difficult times developed their deep relationship with God. Some of our most intimate friendships are formed in the trenches, during the heat of battle. This is likely what the Scripture means when it says we have a friend who sticks closer than a brother (Proverbs 18:24).
The stories of these great individuals in the Bible reveal the beauty of waiting with God. It’s not just about the destination; it’s about the journey. That’s why the Bible doesn’t just show us the feel-good parts but also the good, the bad, and the ugly of the times of waiting. We may not always understand why we have to wait, but the good news is that God never asks us to wait without Him.
