While Waiting on God

More than a decade ago, somewhere between Albuquerque and Santa Fe, a boisterous hailstorm came out of nowhere, pummeling my minivan’s roof as my four children sat wide-eyed. This was a new experience for my recently adopted three-year-old daughter, and when it stopped, she yelled to me in delight one of the few English words she knew – “Again!” 

“Komera, I can’t make it hail, you’ll have to talk to God about that,” I responded with a laugh. Immediately she looked up towards heaven and gave these instructions in her thick, Rwandan accent, “God! Again!” 

I smile every time I remember her words.  Amused that once she knew God produced the hail, she went straight to him with her command.  Fascinated that she did not hesitate to boss God around – something she probably still attempts today.  And convicted by how often I expect immediate answers to my prayer requests and give up when resolutions don’t come quickly enough.

My problem isn’t the asking – it’s waiting for the answer.  I stink at waiting.  Impulsivity is my middle name and spontaneity is my MO.  Waiting for results does not come naturally for me. Being still? Not how I’m wired. I’d rather try making it happen on my own instead of waiting for God to move.  And my track record has yielded some ugly and unwanted consequences. Want a recent example? Using a chop saw to shorten some newly purchased blinds instead of waiting on my husband to do it with a kitchen knife as the directions recommended.  The result wasn’t pretty, and thankfully he was able to fix my mess. 

But sometimes, these messes aren’t so easily mended. 

And I’m not alone.  In Scripture, many people devised their own schemes when God’s response was slow in coming. Sarah wasn’t the only wife who wanted children so strongly she encouraged her husband to sleep with a maidservant because God hadn’t yet provided the child he’d promised. And each of their stories had severe consequences for rushing the waiting period God had ordained.

David reminded his own soul to be strong and wait for the Lord. Waiting is hard, but there are some things I’m learning to keep discouragement from overwhelming me:

1. I wait in HOPE.  I continue to lift my requests to God, praying the truths of his Word, and leaving the need at his feet.  He is faithful and trustworthy, and nothing reminds me of that more quickly than communion with him through his Word and the Holy Spirit.  While his first son with Bathsheba was sick, David continued fasting and asking God to move.  He didn’t get the answer he wanted, but he persevered in prayer and communion with God through hope.  I believe this is why he could immediately get up and worship after this child’s death. Scripture teaches that hope founded in Christ and forged through suffering will not disappoint! (Romans 5:5)

•  I wait while WALKING. I simply try to do the next right thing.  I continue in obedience to what God has called me to through his Word and in my spirit, even during uncertainty.  Joseph waited in a pit, slavery, and a dungeon.  But he never stopped trusting God and, with excellence, doing everything God set before him.  It was thirteen years of betrayal and injustice before God fulfilled the vision he gave Joseph concerning his future role in his family. But Joseph remained faithful in the small things, causing others to notice God’s presence in his life.

• I wait with PEACE.  I don’t always have peaceful feelings – in fact, I have a long history with physical anxiety, even when I’m not mentally worried.  But I can always have confidence in the sovereignty of my powerful and trustworthy God.  Isaiah reminds us that perfect peace comes from God when we keep our minds fixed on him. And in Philippians 4, Paul reminds us that thankful petition and obeying Christ results in peace as well. 

Dave Samples once wrote, “Messed up men try to control the chaos. Waiting is one of the hardest spiritual disciplines. Waiting is spelled T-R-U-S-T.” That’s a spelling word we all need to practice more often!

For what are you waiting on God today, and how are you trusting him as you wait?  Leave me a comment – I’d love to wait in prayer along with you!