Embracing Waiting

How to properly wait upon God

I have never met anyone who likes to wait! It seems we have a built-in aversion to waiting because we see it as unproductive and just plain wrong. Waiting is even harder in our instant-focused culture. We are bombarded with the message that faster is better. An example is Internet companies that promise faster and faster connections so that we can surf, stream, and socialize online at the fastest possible speeds. A recent devotional I read included the following thought about how we view waiting.

“We incorrectly assume that waiting must mean something somewhere is wrong and God’s will isn’t being accomplished.“– Active Word Daily Devotion

If we have to wait, we think something somewhere is wrong — the system is somehow broken. But this kind of thinking is proven wrong when we look at waiting in the Bible. Our sovereign, all-knowing God, who is above time, causes or allows us to go through times of waiting.

Jesus first coming was just at the right time

But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law.
-- Galatians 4:4 NLT

The Israelites, and indeed the entire world, waited until the Father had determined that the time was right for Jesus to come as Emmanuel. For reasons beyond our understanding, God determined the exact “right time” for Jesus to be born. We can’t fully understand why the world had to wait so long, but when Jesus did come, it was “when the time was right” in God's eyes.

Jesus second coming will be at the right time!

“Look, I am coming soon, and my reward is with me to repay each person according to his work. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.
-- Revelation 22:12-13 CSB

The eschatological truth is that Jesus is coming back. It is a sure promise expressed in God’s Word. As we look at the state of the world today, we long for it to happen soon, but we have no idea when it will be. So, we wait until the time is again right for the Son to come again.

We are promised strength when we wait on the Lord

Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.
-- Isaiah 40:30-31 ESV

What then does it mean to wait for the Lord? How do we do it? Properly waiting for the Lord involves at least three things...

1. A proper perspective - Trusting God

God is in control. As the sovereign God of the universe, nothing is beyond his control. He either causes or allows everything to happen for a reason.

God is never surprised. Nothing that happens in our lives or the lives of those we love is ever a shock to God. He is all-knowing and, thus, knows everything that is going on in our lives.

In his all-knowing, all-powerful nature, he allows us to wait for good. It may not look like something good at the time, but we must trust God to know the reasons and dynamics of our waiting.

2. A proper focus - Keeping our eyes on God

Scientific evidence reveals what is called inattentional blindness. Research on this concept shows that individuals often fail to perceive unexpected objects when their attention is focused on a demanding task. This means it is almost impossible to focus on our situation, our waiting, and God at the same time.

If we are going to wait properly on God, we must take our eyes off the situation and focus on him.

3. A proper response - Allowing God to be God

Let’s do a quick “walk-through” of someone who did not allow God to be God and attempted to take matters into his own hands. God promises to make Abraham a “great nation” and would bless all families of the earth through him (Genesis 12:2-3). God clarifies that the heir who would be the beginning of the “great nation” will come from Abraham’s own offspring. He promised Abraham descendants as numerous as the stars (Genesis 15:4-6). However, Abraham got frustrated because his wife, Sarah, had not become pregnant, so he took matters into his own hands (Genesis 16:1-4). He had a son by his wife’s handmaid, which created a disastrous situation. What a mess Abraham created by not waiting on God. Later, God fulfills his promise, and Sarah becomes pregnant at the age of ninety (Genesis 17:17). If only Abraham had waited on God, the situation with Hagar and Ishmael would have never happened.

Waiting on God Shapes Us Spiritually

When we wait upon the Lord, he shapes us into becoming more like Jesus. Waiting deepens our faith. By focusing on him, trusting him, and not interfering with his timing by taking matters into our own hands, our faith grows because we believe that he will be with us as we walk through the waiting.

Waiting on God shapes our character

Peter tells us that…

And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires. In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone.
-- 2 Peter 1:4-7 NLT

As we wait, God’s promises to be with us, to encourage us, to comfort us, and to protect us. Plus, God’s Holy Spirit works within us to develop Christlike character.

Waiting on God - An Eternal Perspective

“God sees your life from His eternal perspective. He will take whatever time is necessary to grow your character to match His assignment for you.” (”Experiencing God Day By Day” by Richard Blackaby)

Waiting is hard! But, as much as we can, we need to see things from God’s perspective, because…

In the waiting comes the shaping! We become more Christlike.

In the waiting comes the assurance. God said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). In our waiting, we see that promise fulfilled.

In the waiting comes the strength. As we wait upon the Lord, we are strengthened in our inner being. We are given the power to stand strong as we wait. We can then declare as the prophet Jeremiah did…

I say to myself, “The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.”
-- Lamentations 3:24 NIV