How to Survive the Waiting Game

No matter what God has called us to do, one of the most difficult
things we will face is the in-between time. In the beginning, He
prepares our hearts for the calling. He gives us a glimpse of His
plans for us, and it births great hope within us.

The difficulty is that there is always a time lag between the
initial preparation and the outcome. The beginning often carries a
great emotional surge. We know what God said, and we know
we will see it happen, no matter what the enemy may throw at us in
the process. Our faith is as tall as the mountains. We feel
invincible in God’s promise. We take the initial steps and are
excited to see the fruit of our labors.

But then comes the waiting.

The days become weeks and months, and we have to wait for what God
has promised us. Many of us don’t handle the waiting very well. Our
hope begins to waver. We begin to forget the glorious promises God
gave us and how it felt when we heard His voice. So many of us lose
heart during the time lag.

What can we do to instead gain heart during this waiting
period?

1. Be willing to rest.

Hearing God’s voice is like finding a well in the desert. We do
not survive on our own thoughts or strength or goodness, and as we
discover this we discover reality and true freedom in Christ. His
presence is our lifeblood, and He is our peace, which is the
foundation for hearing His voice. It will be very difficult for us to
stir up our hearts and keep them passionate and alive without being
willing to rest in His presence.

So in the midst of waiting for change, we need to be willing to
rest. In the New American Standard translation of Psalm 24:17, it
reads, “Let your heart take courage” (emphasis added).
If we are worrying and striving and trying to make things happen, it
will be very difficult for us to find our peace in God. It will be
difficult for us to remember Him.

Today, if you find yourself brought low by anxiety, despair or
the apparent lack of movement in your life, let your heart
take courage by being quiet in His presence. This is the starting
point for everything we do. There, God will prepare us for the change
He is bringing and for the next step in the promise He has given us.

2. Be captivated.

Paul wrote in Romans 10 that faith comes by hearing and hearing by
the Word of God. The level of “hearing” that Paul talked about
means to be enraptured, to be captivated, to be totally consumed, to
be focused on the Word—that is what increases our faith.

What has God told you? Be like the persistent widow in Luke 18 who
would not allow the judge to forget her case.

If it has been awhile
since you have actively remembered the promise God gave you, change
that. Think about it. Remember it. Write it on a note card and tape
it to your bathroom mirror.

Be captivated by God. Open your heart to
hearing His quiet voice in the area of His promise.

3. Be willing to take risks.

Finally, we need to consider taking steps we have never taken
before. Perhaps God has already set up everything we need, and the
only thing left for us to do now is take the risk that He’s calling
us to take at the time he’s calling us to take it.

Peter took a lot of risks. The New Testament is filled with wild
stories about him. Something daring and unorthodox was in him from
the beginning. He didn’t always take the right risks, yet God never
chastised him for being zealous.

If you do these three things—rest in God, be captivated by Him,
and be willing to take the risks He sets before you to take—then
you are guaranteed to see change because you are seeking God. You are
holding on to His promises, and you are remembering His voice. You
are honoring Him, and that is no small thing.

Today, be strong and let your heart take courage.

About the author: John Paul
Jackson is an established authority on Christian spirituality and
dream interpretation. His biblical approach to dreams reveals their
life-changing purpose, and restores an overlooked way God chooses to
communicate with people. He shares his practical and spiritual
expertise with an international audience through Streams Ministries
International and the Streams Training Center courses and
publications.