I find it difficult to wait for something I want. Perhaps you can relate. Waiting is hard and even arduous. We wait to finish high school or wait to graduate from college or wait to get a house of your own or wait for that perfect job. As we wait, it appears to be no end in sight.
Waiting is hard
Most life events and milestones require us to wait. Sometimes I scream in exasperation because I want the answers or achievement now.
I to be honest, I wonder if I have Attention Deficit Disorder; I am impatient and can become restless looking for answers or the finish line. Attention Deficit runs in my family; my husband and one of my sons have ADD. I can see the irritation on their faces and hear it in their voices when delayed in line or in traffic. Waiting seems like torture or punishment to them.
Waiting can seem like torture
When I studied for chaplaincy, the required courses seemed daunting, the finish line seemed unattainable. Credentialing for a chaplain takes lots of study and writing, almost like writing a thesis for a master’s degree. I doubted myself, questioning my ability along the way. The process frustrated me and consumed more time than I wanted. When I became a certified chaplain, I felt like a mountain climber reaching the summit.
What does it mean to wait? The definition is as to stay in place in expectation of. In other words, waiting requires us to remain stationary.
To stay in place
An image used for waiting is the image of a watchman. In history, a watchman stood guard during the night to survey the city. The sentinel job required the watchman to monitor a section of the wall, looking for peril, crime, or fire. Alone in the night’s stillness, watchmen would be vigilant. When morning came, they sounded an alarm to signal a new day.
Many times, we are like watchmen, waiting for morning to dawn. We ask God for help, healing, provision, or hope. We pray and wait; our heart can be heavy with petition as we wait. We wait. Answers seem long in coming. We wait.
The psalmist voices how he waits and hopes.
I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits,
and in his word I put my hope.
I wait for the Lord
more than watchmen wait for the morning,
more than watchmen wait for the morning. Psalm 130:5, 6 (NIV)
How do we wait for an answer?
We pray, get before God with our petition, and pour out our burdens. We continue to request. Maybe we wait for God to answer a specific prayer or to change a circumstance or to heal. Waiting can seem wearisome, taking constant refocusing on the One who answers prayer. I wish I knew why God has us waiting. Likewise, Israel waited for a Messiah to come for the fulfillment of prophecy. Today, we wait for Christ’s return.
In waiting, we refocus
We do not always receive the answer to our prayer or have the privilege of it coming to fruition. These are times I question God and even wrestle with not having an answer.
However, a benefit comes from waiting. Personally, I am not thrilled with this benefit, but nevertheless, it is a benefit. As we wait on the Lord, we change inside. It shifts our center; it can sift out what is not important and change our perspective. In the waiting process, we transform. One predictable part of waiting is that it causes us to get to know God better and to grow. In the waiting, we may find God is the answer.
Waiting brings change in us
Jennifer Tucker, in her book Breath as Prayer, talks about seasons of waiting.
“Seasons of waiting can be painfully long and hard. But waiting time is not wasted time. God wastes nothing. He is always doing something. God is working as we wait, regardless of whether we can see or understand what He is doing.”
God is working while we wait
I wonder why I need to change. My burden is heavy with the intense need of my request. I worry and struggle with committing my request to God. I question the delay or I question will the answer ever come.
Answers may not come in the way we expect. Sometimes God answers in unexpected ways. It is a mystery why petitions go unanswered. This mystery requires trust. As we wait, God renews our strength. We learn to trust more and hopefully come to peace in our waiting.
God answers in unexpected ways
We can look with expectation for the first light to peek out over the horizon.
I pray to God—my life a prayer—
and wait for what he’ll say and do.
My life’s on the line before God, my Lord,
waiting and watching till morning,
waiting and watching till morning. Psalm 130:5, 6 (Message)
When you wait, try jotting down how you are growing and seeing God more clearly. Write your requests, add dates next to the requests. Wait and see how God answers.
Grace offers Hope,
