We don’t like waiting. Whether we’re waiting for a meal in a restaurant, we’re stuck in standstill traffic, or we’re waiting for our bus to come, we can find ourselves becoming impatient and frustrated. We don’t like to wait for anything, including God. But the word ‘wait’ shows up many times throughout the Bible. God doesn’t always answer our prayers or bring change in our lives immediately. Sometimes we have to wait. So what can we do in the waiting? Firstly, we need to remember that God’s working in our waiting. Jesus said, ‘My Father is always at his work’ (John 5:17 NIV). It might not look like anything’s happening, but God’s working things out for our good (have a read of Romans 8:28). God says: ‘Be still, and know that I am God’ (Psalm 46:10 NIV). Sometimes we just have to hand everything over to Him and remember that He works in His own ways and in His own timing. Secondly, we need to trust God. The Bible says: ‘Wait and trust the Lord.’ Trusting can be easier said than done. We like to be in control and work everything out ourselves. Waiting and trusting can feel really uncomfortable. But the Bible teaches us to ‘trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding’ (Proverbs 3:5 NIV). While we’re waiting we shouldn’t assume the worst, worry, make demands, or take control. Instead we should keep our eyes fixed on God and expectantly wait for Him to come through for us. The psalmist wrote: ‘We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield’ (Psalm 33:20 NIV). Let’s declare those words today too. 

What Now?

If you find yourself in any times of waiting today, use that time to talk to God about how your day is going so far.