Worth the wait...

I realize that I haven’t written in three weeks. If you follow me on Instagram you’ll know that I used my birthday as an excuse, but the real reason you haven’t heard from me is because I was waiting on God. I was waiting on Him for personal breakthrough, as well as a way to apply what He’s teaching me to something I can share with you. ​​

​At some point in your Christian walk you’re probably going to be confronted with waiting too.  I'd like to address two crucial facets to waiting on God.

First is waiting to hear His voice.

Second is waiting for Him to come through.
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Both are things I’ve struggled with. So whether you’re waiting to hear His voice; or waiting for an outcome; this is for you.

​1.Waiting to hear His voice

We live in a society where fast-food and same day delivery is the norm. We don’t wait. We don’t believe communication is something that should take time either. If there’s something we want to say; we simply text or email it.  And if the reply doesn’t come soon enough; we call. For this reason we can’t understand why God doesn’t answer our prayers NOW. We simply don’t make time to sit at His feet and hear what He has to say.  

What the Bible says...
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The Psalms are filled with Scripture about waiting on the Lord:

“Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” - Psalm 27:14

“Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him.” -Psalm 37:7

“We wait in hope for the Lord; He is our help and our shield.” - Psalm 33:2

​ (Also read: Psalm 5:3; Psalm 25:5; Psalm 130:5)

The Psalmists knew something about spending time with God and making that time a priority. How can we expect God to speak to us if we don’t even make time to listen? Do you really expect God, the Creator of the universe, to simply fall into your routine? Is everything else in your life so important that the only time you have for Him is in the car on the way to work? Is He not worth making time for? 
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​Isaiah 30:18 says that those who “wait” or "long" for God will be blessed. I believe that deep down we all have a longing for God; but because we neglect it, we lose touch with it. We become consumed by all other facets of life. The moment that anything else becomes more important than God in your life; it becomes an idol; which makes it a sin (Colossians 3:5). Living a life that is God-honoring is not about fitting God into your life, but giving your life to God.

"Do you really expect God, the Creator of the universe, to simply fall into your routine?"

So when does He speak?

​Perhaps it’s different for you, but for me it’s actually simple:  He speaks when I don’t. He speaks when I’m done complaining; finally giving Him a chance to say something. He speaks when I’m willing to accept whatever He’s going to say; even if it’s not what I want to hear.

And how does He speak?
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The other day I was having coffee with a friend and we spoke about different ways of hearing God’s voice: through nature; people; Scripture; music; dreams; visions; prophecy; or an unexplainable peace.

​I happen to think that when God really speaks; He confirms. He doesn’t just tell you something once when you’re in your room alone and now you have to go out and do it. He tells you again. He tells someone else. He gives you a Scripture – often the same Scripture on more than one occasion. 

I recently came across these words of Jesus in Matthew 7:7

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”

​2. Waiting for an outcome

There are so many times I don’t want to walk the long and difficult road of character building. I want God to do a miracle and rescue me from the difficulty. But He knows that going through with the difficult season is for my own benefit (James 1:2-4). Ironically, growth happens so much quicker when we embrace the process right from the start. 
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"...growth happens so much quicker when we embrace the process right from the start."
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​The other day I noticed how God doesn’t get impatient with me. Even if I’m the one rebelling; demanding an immediate outcome and completely missing the point; He patiently waits until I embrace the process. He patiently waits every time I bump my head or head off in the wrong direction. 

​This was so humbling. We like thinking we’ll be better time managers than God. If time is in His hands (Psalm 31:15) – how can you not trust Him with it? He’s patient with us – we should be patient with Him too.

"He’s patient with us – we should be patient with Him too."

What the Bible says...
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Once again the Psalms are filled with desperate pleads for God’s rescue:

“Look on my suffering and deliver me, for I have not forgotten Your law. Defend my cause and redeem me; preserve my life according to Your promise.”   
​- Psalm 119:153-154

“...have mercy on me, Lord, for I call to You all day long...” – Psalm 86:3

“From the ends of the earth I call to You, I call as my heart grows faint...” – Psalm 61:2

​I happen to think this teaches us something about prayer. We’re allowed to go to God and ask Him to carry us through difficult times. We’re allowed to open our hearts to Him. This is how we invite Him in to really change us.

​Another significant passage about waiting is found in Ecclesiastes 3:1-11.

“He has made everything beautiful in its time.” - Ecclesiastes 3:11

​I didn’t think God was beautifully on time when I turned 23 and happened to still be single. If you read my article “What I’ve learnt from 6 years of singleness” - you’ll know that I always dreamt about marrying young. But God challenged me to trust Him with my 23rd year of life. I recently turned 24 and I’m truly grateful for what He’s done in and through me in this last year. I’m still not married, but truly thankful.  For it turns out He was beautifully on time. The real beauty was being able to give Him my age.

​It’s because of His presence seasons and times are beautiful – without Him, it just won’t be. So often we go off running on our own and we miss out on His design. Not doing things God’s way is a waste of time; and not the other way around.

"Not doing things God’s way is a waste of time; and not the other way around."

​“Take courage my heart
Stay steadfast my soul
He’s in the waiting...”
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– Take courage, Bethel Music

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