Blessings in the Waiting

I'm not a big fan of waiting. I don't imagine many of us are. My impatience and inability to wait-well has gotten me into trouble from time to time (okay, many times.) But God isn't opposed to waiting or making us wait. He is the creator of time and He is outside of time, so a week, month, or year to us, is just a blimp to Him. Sometimes I wonder if He chuckles at us when we get antsy and impatience settles in. I wonder if He looks at us the way we might delight in a cranky 2-year old, who you know will be just fine after a nap.

When we look in the Bible, we see many stories of God's people, waiting for God's timing.

Abraham and Sarah waited years to have a child. They waited so long, they were in senior status when their little one came along.

Joseph waited multiple years in prison plus years of serving before seeing the dreams God gave him come to pass.

Moses waited 40 years before God called him to lead the Israelites out of Egypt.

Esther waited one year while undergoing beauty treatments before she could even be presented to the King as a prospective Queen.

Hannah and Elizabeth were both barren and waited, prayed, and cried to the Lord for many years before seeing God answer.

No one is spared the pain of waiting. But we do see that there is hope and a blessing when we trust God and wait for His timing.

Abraham had 2 sons and became the Father of Many Nations.

Joseph became a great leader, second to only Potiphar.

Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt and met with God face-to-face.

Esther became Queen and saved her people from death.

Hannah and Elizabeth both gave birth to sons who became great leaders of faith.

I can imagine that each of these people weren't thrilled to wait. I imagine they struggled, cried, maybe even complained or lost hope from time to time. It can be easy to think God doesn't care or isn't sensitive to our waiting season, but sometimes we need to remember we're on God's timeline, not our 12-month calendar. When we measure our waiting season on the timeline of eternity, a few weeks, days, or even years, doesn't seem too long afterall.

Often, we can be so consumed or worried about what's next that we miss the blessing of the season we are in. Rather than focusing on waiting, we can trust God will bring a blessing from the wait. God will use your wait to bring you to a deeper level of trust and build new faith muscles. God can even bring you more than you were waiting for.

If you are in a waiting season, I encourage you to look for the blessings God has for you in this season. How is God growing you in the wait? Where do you see Him moving in your life? Focusing on the blessings of waiting can move you from anxious or impatient to grateful. And if all else fails, take a nap, that usually helps too.