Living in Hope when God Says, “Wait”
I’m not sure to whom I’m writing this article today, but I suspect somebody needs to hear it. As I prayerfully consider topics for series on “living in hope,” this focus continues to come to mind: waiting on God. The shepherd/ pastor in me comes to life when I think of believers who increasingly struggle with patience—primarily because I, too, grow impatient with God—and I want us to pray for one another about that issue today.
So, I begin simply with some Bible texts that remind me that I need to let God redeem my impatience:
“Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!” (Psa 27:14)
“We wait for the Lord; he is our help and shield.” (Psa 33:20)
“I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope; my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning” (Psa 130:5-6)
“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” (Isa 40:31)
“But as for me, I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me” (Mic 7:7).
“Now if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with patience” (Rom 8:25)
“Therefore, brothers and sisters, be patient until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth and is patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains” (James 5:7).
When I read these verses, waiting seems so easy. We simply look forward to the day when God is going to respond, and we stay focused on Him in the meantime. Waiting is seldom that easy, however.
Why, then, does God require us to wait?
Waiting reminds us that He is in charge. We're not in charge of the calendar or the clock. We don't control all things. Only God does, and His calling us to wait reminds us of that truth.
Waiting teaches us faith. Faith is the evidence of things unseen, the confidence of things not yet taking place (Heb 11:1). The concept almost assumes a gap in timing between our request and God's response. If everything happened immediately, faith would be less necessary.
Waiting makes us grateful. When we pray for something and God requires us to wait, we are more grateful when He finally does respond positively to our prayers. And, we learn in a strange way to be grateful as we wait even if He chooses to respond "no" to our prayers.
Waiting reveals our idolatries. If we simply can't wait on God, it's likely because something we want to happen is more important to us than God's overall plan. We think our plan is so right that God needs to respond to it right now.
Waiting pushes us to trust. Frankly, this is where I most struggle. I’m learning again that it’s one thing to teach about trust—but it’s another matter entirely to live it out when it’s your life affected. I need to hear again and again Jesus’ words to Jairus after his daughter had died, “Just keep believing” (Mark 5:36)—and then just do it, no matter how long I must wait for an answer.
Waiting encourages us to remember God’s blessings in the past. Recently as I was struggling with waiting as I pray for a friend, my faithful Christian brother sent me this text about his own life: “Think of the story about your brother, who likely had run farther away from God than any believer ever has . . . [but] God didn’t give up on him.” I needed that reminder of God’s past faithfulness.
Waiting prepares us for whatever God has for us in the future. Whatever God's plan is, waiting is often God's way of saying, "You're not ready to receive what you want yet." He knows our hearts, and He alone knows when He needs to do some work in us before granting our request. Our call is to trust Him in the meantime.
Waiting reminds us that God is in charge of eternity. That truth may not sound comforting when we want an answer yesterday, but my point is that our God is in charge of forever. That’s one reason why seeming delays that require waiting shouldn’t bother us.
Maybe you are familiar with the book of Habakkuk—a book that reminds us of hope. The first two chapters of this short book are dialogue between the prophet and God—which is itself both mysterious and magnificent, in that the God of eternity seeks relationship with His people—and they reflect God’s responses to Habakkuk’s questions about justice and timing. God tells him to write down a vision He will give him, and He includes these words: ”For the vision is yet for the appointed time; it testifies about the end and will not lie. Though it delays, wait for it, since it will certainly come and not be late” (Hab 2:3).
That message was simple. God’s response would not be immediate, but He had already appointed a time to take care of the issues that perplexed the prophet. This vision would come to pass with complete accuracy, but it would happen in God’s timing. What might have seemed delay to the prophet was not outside of God’s plan; the vision would be fulfilled, and “not too late.” Others, including us today, would later read the prophecy and see God’s faithfulness to His Word.
Here’s what I need to remember today: God has a plan that He will accomplish according to His timing. He is never late—and truth gives me great hope. I pray you, too, will live in more hope today.
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