The Necessity of Waiting

I do not like waiting. I wait in a doctor's waiting room a reasonable amount of time before I ask to be rescheduled. In fact, I ask for the first appointment of the day when I schedule any appointments.  I always show up early so that I won't make others wait for me but I also do not tolerate more than a reasonable wait.

My intolerance does not apply to the Lord. I cannot simply tell Him that I would like my new appointment to be His first on another day. I must wait and be glad that He sees me. I must wait and realize that the waitng was part of the plan to change me. I must wait.

That doesn't fit into our lifestyle does it? Don't we expect immediate service when we attend a church, a business or a restaurant? Sometimes we forget that God does not exist to serve us. We exist to serve Him. He has surely waited on us to get to that service.

Waiting is humbling. It puts you at the mercy of the one you are waiting on. That person has control over you. You are captured by the waiting.

Of course, He has ever right to make you wait. You are His. He is not merely more important than you are for that would be putting God at the head of a list in which comparisons are made. There is no comparison between His importance and yours. And it is not that He is more central to everything either. That is like saying that the heart is central to the body. What would our bodies be doing right now if  our hearts were suddenly removed?

Nothing would exist if there was no God. There would be no universe or God or us or even the things which are causing us to worry right now. He is the "I am" because there would be nothing if He was the "I wasn't."

There is no other teacher of His will and maturity if He does not teach. His will is not separate from Himself. He is what His will is. He never acts falsly. His will is true to who He is. He acts holy because that is what He is. His will is holy because that is what He is. There is never a time that His will is unholy. Thus, you can have no other teacher to bring you to this maturity for He alone is holy.

God's timing is perfect. He gives His will, His grace, His provision or whatever else that you need at the proper moment. He waits until you are ready to receive what you need. He gives these to you to teach you that waiting on Him is best. God answers with perfect timng no matter how many tears you shed, how many times you kneel and beg or how many people you ask for prayer.

Learning to wait upon the Lord will eliminate worry. Worry is rushing into the problem with the belief that God will not arrive in time. It is doubt in His provision, wisdom, love, power and timing. Learning to wait teaches you that God's grace is only for today. He gives the grace needed for tomorrow when tomorrow is called today.

Waiting makes you notice the darkness. God allows the darkness so that we can appreciate the light. You should rest in those times of darkness just as your body rests at night. The provision is there but it cannot be seen because it is dark. You wait until the morning so that you can see the provision in the light. Waiting on the Lord is resting in the faith that He knows you intimately, knows your situation perfectly and has already made provision for you.

Waiting grows your faith. Faith isn't necessary when everything you need can be perceived with your senses. That is why so many people walk away from the Lord when they become rich and self-sufficient. But those who wait upon the Lord have the strength of their faith renewed. They can fly into things that seem impossible, run when circumstances are discouraging and walk calmly when all hell breaks loose around them.

I still don't like waiting but I am glad for every time I have waited and seen the Lord's provision. He has taught me through this waiting. I don't think I am unusual in this. I believe God makes all believers wait so that He can change them to be what they would never have been without the waiting.

Psalm 25:5 (ESV) ⁵ Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long.