The Waiting Game

We hate to wait. We hate to wait for tables, job promotions, in lines, at the DMV, for pain to stop, and to grow up. As humans, waiting for things is not our specialty. We live in a microwave society that wants things now. We live in a culture that tells us to get what we want and not wait until tomorrow. Waiting is hard for us to do as humans.

Yet, God commands us to wait. Psalms 37:7 states, "Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for Him". We are commanded to wait for God to act. We are told to wait for God's plans to unfold. We are clearly told by God Himself, He does not function in on our time table and by our ability to be patient. Waiting is a serious part of the Christian life. We must wait.

One of the fruits of the Holy Spirit in our lives is the ability to wait patiently. If the Holy Spirit in us, gives us the ability to wait patiently, then there must be a good way to wait. Waiting as humans does not change the circumstances. We will wait regardless of how we wait. We can't change the speed of time. We can't make things happen faster. We can't make people decide things sooner. We can't make the world spin faster or God move faster. We wait regardless of how we wait. The question is, do we wait patiently or do we wait sinfully.

Waiting sinfully shows itself in multiple ways. When we wait impatiently, our emotions get the best of us. We become angry. We become short tempered or worry. We become sole focused on what we are waiting for. We become self-absorbed and self-focused. When we wait impatiently, we take our eyes off of God, focus on the waiting, and become a person lacking joy and peace. When we wait impatiently, the waiting becomes much longer and more stressful.

But when we wait patiently, we wait for God. We are joyful in the waiting period. We are a person of peace and contentment. We focus on God and rejoice in His plan. We rest and trust God has it all under His perfect loving control. When we wait patiently for God to unfold His plans, we reflect the image of Christ in our lives.

So there are two kinds of waiting. Neither will change the circumstance. But one will reflect glory to God, while the other makes a mess of the waiting period. We can either wait patiently for God to work out His will or we can wait in our sin and give ourselves ulcers and wrinkles.

So what are we waiting for? There are always things we will be waiting for. Are we waiting to graduate? The new job? The doctor's appointment? Retirement? The other persons decision? The trip? The new baby? And the list of reasons we wait can go on. Let us, as God's children, wait in the Lord and reflect His glory as we wait for Him to unfold His perfect plan in our lives.