I’ve never been very good at waiting. Whether it was waiting for Christmas morning as a kid, waiting in line at the DMV, or as I found myself suddenly without a job waiting has always been hard for me.
For years my wife and I struggled with infertility. When my wife decided to adopt we had no idea how long the wait in the adoption process was going to be for us. We spent the first six months attending classes, filling out paperwork, meeting with social workers, completing background checks, and getting our home ready. Then we waited twelve months before we were placed with her. After that we had to wait ANOTHER twelve months before her adoption was finalized.
What are you waiting for right now? Maybe you’re waiting to meet the person you’re going to marry, or for the person you married to come back to you. Maybe you’re hoping to have children but, for some reason, it just hasn’t happened yet. Or maybe your waiting for your prodigal son or daughter to come home. Perhaps your waiting for a job, your business to take off, or the economy to turn around.
What do you do when you find yourself in the waiting room of life? How do you wait on God in a way that honors Him and doesn’t jeopardize your chances of experiencing His blessings in your life? The Bible give us four crucial actions to take while we W.A.I.T. on God. Here they are:
Watch for God’s instructions.
The Bible says in Psalm 32:8, “…I will guide you along the best pathway for your life” (NLT). God always has a reason when He has us wait. Rick Warren says there are three reasons why God causes us to wait on Him:
- When my request is not right, God says NO.
- When I am not right, God says GROW.
- When the timing is not right, God says SLOW.
If you’re in a season of waiting right now, which one of these reasons is causing it? Spend some time searching God’s Word for answers, asking God in prayer for guidance, spending time in silence listening for His voice, and asking wise and mature Christians for their input. You owe it to yourself to discover what it is He wants you to learn and do.
Ask Him in faith and with a heart of surrender.
Jesus said in Matthew 7:7, “Keep on asking…Keep on seeking…Keep on knocking…” (NLT). We need to pray persistently, but hold loosely. Jesus modeled this for us in the Garden of Gethsemane when he prayed in Mark 14:36, “Please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine” (NLT).
Do you believe that God is going to answer you and take care of you? Are you’re desires fully surrendered to God? He won’t give you everything you want, because then we would become spoiled children. But He will give you everything you need if you trust and obey Him.
Invest yourself in doing what God has already asked you to do.
What has God already asked us to do? Jesus summed it up in Matthew 22:37-40: ” ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments” (NLT).
Loving God and loving others are God’s ultimate purposes for everyone. Spend your time getting to know and love God more, learning how to love others better, and showing people love in your words and actions. That is the purpose of your life.
Thank God in your circumstances.
In 1 Thessalonians 5:18 the Apostle Paul instructs believers to, “Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus” (NLT). Notice Paul doesn’t say to be thankful FOR all circumstances, but to be thankful IN all circumstances.
What are some things you can be thankful for right now? If you’re reading this online chances are good you are in the top 10% of the richest people in the world. There are MILLIONS of people who would kill to have the problems many of us take for granted.
Author and speaker Jon Gordon suggests taking a simple ten minute walk each day and saying out loud what you are thankful for. Not only will this set you up for a positive day, but it will help you to become the kind of person God WANTS to bless.
Waiting for God is rarely easy, but it is always worth it.
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Imagine how much regret you could avoid if you were watching for God’s instructions and then actually followed them?
Imagine how much peace you would experience if you let go of what you wanted and embraced what God wants for you?
Imagine how much more meaningful your life would be if you spent your time and energy focused on your creator’s purposes for you?
Imagine how much happier you would be if you decided to look for things to be thankful for instead of looking for things to complain about?
This is what God does for you when you watch for His instructions, ask Him in faith and a heart of surrender, invest your time and energy doing what He has already asked you to do, and thank Him in all your circumstances.
Question: What is it that you are waiting on God for right now? You can leave a comment by clicking here.
Jeff McClung 
Beautiful article!