Waiting is a part of everyday life and is rarely fun. From lines at airport security and traffic during rush hour, anxiety and feeling tense often accompany our desire to get somewhere faster than what we are able.
Some people deal with waiting better than others, but waiting is still a roadblock or temporary barrier to accomplishing something now. Waiting means that someone else is in control. Not having control is almost a foreign concept in our society when you can almost have anything you want, at any time.
This type of thinking translates into our spiritual life. No matter how much we want to control, God has a plan and a purpose that is not always on the same timeline that we want. This attitude of control, anxiety, and tenseness causes us to wait because it is God who has ultimate control. God knows better and has our best interest in mind, and this causes periods of waiting for different reasons.
[shareable]Waiting is a part of life and one of God’s tools for developing people. #waiting[/shareable]
God can see things we don’t. There are details hidden from us to develop our character, our faith, or our dependence upon Him. God doesn’t make us wait to punish or because of lack of caring; He makes us wait because He loves us and wants only the best for His children. Look at the Bible and waiting is something that was a common thread in the development of the characters we read about including Jesus.
For me, this is a real season in my life. Waiting is not easy, and like many others, I want my answer now. God, however, has a different plan. My option is to try to rush His plan or learn what God wants me too during this time.
Here are five reasons God makes us wait:
1. Waiting Reveals Motives.
Sometimes we want something to happen in our life for the wrong reasons. Our interest is more short term than long term. God is more concerned with our overall development and has a vision for our lives that often is beyond what we can see. Waiting will either align our motives with God or reveal a wrong reason and change the object of our waiting.
2. Waiting builds patience in our lives.
Patience, through a struggle of perspective change, is developed. Important things to God are not always the important things to us. God wants to change our attitude in situations and cause our focus to be outward. This outward focus doesn’t mean He doesn’t care about our needs and our wants. It just means that God’s priority is how we see others in light of ourselves and our possessions.
3. Waiting builds anticipation.
Have you ever waited for something you expected and experienced the excitement when fulfillment was close? For me, this is shown best when my kids expected something for Christmas, and I was blessed enough to make it happen. I made them wait to open that particular gift, and the anticipation shown on their face and actions. They looked like they were going to burst. For me, it was never about the gift itself but the joy and excitement of my child and their experience. God wants us to treasure not only the fulfillment but the process of fulfillment.
4. Waiting transforms our character.
While waiting is never fun, it is always for a purpose. God desires us to become more like Him. In the process of waiting, we become open to change. In the willingness to change, God can change our character and our hearts as we learn, grow and become more like Him. God has a plan if we are willing to submit to His leadership and His timing and we become better as a part of the process.
5. Waiting builds intimacy and dependency upon God.
One of the greatest benefits to waiting is a closer walk with God. Success is proportionate to your intimacy and dependence on God. Being close to God is how we know His plans, listen to His voice and walk in power and purpose.
During times of waiting, God never intended for us to wait alone. He is never far from you and has placed people in your lives to be a part of the process of waiting. We have to learn not to try to control the things we can’t control, allow God to be God, and trust in the plan that God has for our lives.
[shareable]God never asks for us to wait without Him. #waiting[/shareable]
God is interested in your journey and development as a person. We don’t always know all the reasons why we have seasons of waiting, but we do know they are for a reason.
