Do you wait well?
I used to think I was patient, before I had children. Children have a unique way of testing your patience! But as time has passed, my years have added up, and my daughters have grown, I have come to realize that patience is not something that comes naturally to me. It takes intentional effort. It is something I have to choose.
In his famous book “Oh the Places You’ll Go” children’s book writer Dr. Seuss described the waiting place, and I think many of us can find it very relatable:
The Waiting Place… for people just waiting.
Waiting for a train to go or a bus to come, or a plane to go or the mail to come,
or the rain to go or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow
or waiting around for a Yes or a No or waiting for their hair to grow.
Everyone is just waiting.
Waiting for the fish to bite or waiting for wind to fly a kite
or waiting around for Friday night or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake or a pot to boil, or a Better Break or a string of pearls, or a pair of pants or a wig with curls, or Another Chance.
Everyone is just waiting. [1]
If you are like me, this poem is very relatable. Especially during a time like this. For many of us this pandemic has been an extreme season of waiting. We’ve been locked in our homes and secluded from normal life. It has seemed like a marathon of waiting. We’ve been waiting all day every day for weeks!
However, I have come to realize that waiting often has a purpose. It’s about what is happening in the heart while we wait.
Waiting has a purpose
I wonder if sometimes the good is delayed in order for our hearts to be examined? God doesn’t want to just fix our problems, He wants to transform us in the process. That’s part of the purpose for waiting—transformation. Like gold refined through the fire or clay slowly shaped on the potter’s wheel. Times of waiting can yield transformation, if we surrender to God and wait on the Lord.
Isaiah’s challenge
In Isaiah chapter 40:31 Isaiah says this:
“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 says waiting on the Lord leads to renewed strength and energy. What does it mean to wait on the Lord?
Woven together
The Greek word for “wait on the Lord” here in Isaiah 40:31 is qavah. [3] It figuratively means to bind or weave together like a cord. And we know that a cord woven together (3 strands) is a cord not easily broken (Ecclesiastes 4:12). I believe the same can be said about the life of a Christ follower. When we choose to weave ourselves into the Lord, we will find renewed strength and energy to face our trials and persevere through them with endurance.
Two things to remember in our waiting
If you are facing a trial, here are two reminders. As you wait on the Lord remember:
- Remember Who you are being asked to weave yourself with.
Isaiah 40:28 reiterates who God is. Everlasting God, Creator of the earth, unfathomable understanding, a God who does not tire or grow weak. God is not like us. He is the hope in our trials. He is the true power source. What an invitation and promise God gives His people. “Weave yourself with Me—the source of all strength!”
- Remember you are submitting to a sovereign God.
It’s human instinct to take control, and it is totally normal to avoid trials and choose what’s comfortable and easy. But maybe God, in His sovereignty, has something else planned? Maybe in our submission we can become transformed ever more into His image (2 Corinthians 3:18). Yes, God is sovereign, all powerful, in control, and has all authority. You can trust Him. He doesn’t act irresponsibly or unsympathetically. He’s not careless with you. He is completely honorable, faithful, and trustworthy.
Submitting is hard. It’s letting go. It’s admitting your weakness. But in our submission, we give God permission to transform us—to use our trials to make us strong.
Be renewed in your waiting
What we wait for, the end result, is not more important than what happens in us while we wait. God wants to transform you in your waiting. He wants to take your trials and build your character and attitude. He wants you to be stronger, more determined, and faithful on the other side.
Will you choose to weave yourself with God in your waiting?
Submit your trials to Jesus. God’s promise is that as you do, you will be renewed and re-energized to soar.
Growth Point:
God is ready to transform you as you learn to wait on the Lord.
Scripture Point:
Read Psalm 103:1-5. How does this passage encourage you to wait on God?
Action Point:
In what ways are you waiting on the Lod now? How can you submit even more to His timing and purpose for this waiting? Reflect and surrender to God this week.
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