Are We There Yet? Why Waiting on God Is Always Worth the Pain

Waiting is so hard! But in one way or another, we are all waiting. Whether we seem to have it all or have the weight of the world on our shoulders, we’re all waiting for something—waiting for change, waiting for answers, waiting for healing, waiting for things to get better. No matter how good life gets, every living human being—rich or poor—will always need something.

The troubling thing about having a need is not just wondering if the need will be met: it’s not knowing when the need will be met. Most of us don’t go through life wondering if we will eat or if we will sleep. We go through life wondering when we will eat or when we will sleep.

Have you ever heard of the “five Ws and one H”—who, what, when, why and how? Usually used by journalists as they write newspaper or magazine articles, these are the same questions that bring almost every human to their knees seeking God for answers. When we need answers in any area of our lives, we want to know who is going to answer us, what the answer will be, where the answer is coming from, why we had to face the challenge in the first place, and how to make sense of everything we’re going through. But our biggest question is when the answer is coming. Of the six curiosity pushers, the when produces the most anxiety.

We want to know when our answers are coming. Sure, we want what we want right when we want it. However, I believe that if we knew the time and date our answer was coming, we might be able to wait for it. Waiting gets hard when times and circumstances are unpredictable, when things don’t happen on our terms or according to our timing. Not knowing when can take out even the strongest, most positive of us.

Having to wait doesn’t mean your need will never be met; it just means your answer is delayed.

Here’s my question to you: Are you living life frustrated because you feel as though the answers you need have been denied? If so, I want to help change your perspective. I want you to understand that it’s time for you to get free from trying to control your moments. Stop trying to control your change. Stop trying to control your answers in life.

I got frustrated in the airport once because I had no control over when my plane would leave. I had a problem waiting. Had I become so angry and impatient that I left the airport or even rebooked for a later flight, I would have responded inappropriately to a temporary situation and missed out on the opportunity to fly home that same night.

What if you chose to be patient and wait just a little while longer? What if you learned to trust God with your when?

Just as the airline agents served as the authority in that situation at the airport and had control over when we would depart, God has authority and control over your life. He is in control. God knows the who, what, when, where, why and how for your life. There’s no question that God can’t answer. There is no sickness that He can’t heal. There’s no debt that He cannot pay. Nothing is impossible with God! It’s the negative spirit of impatience and control that makes it hard for us to wait. This is why it’s so important that we pray as David did in Psalm 51:10 and ask God to create in us a clean heart and renew a right spirit on the inside. Having the right spirit about life means that we have the right attitude about God’s timing being perfect and the humble understanding that we don’t control God.

Let God be the one in control. After all, He knows what’s best for you. Don’t get discouraged during your waiting season. God has a plan to bless you in His perfect timing. The blessing may not look the way you thought it would or come the way you expected, but it will be just what you need. Don’t quit! God has a miracle with your name one it—and it’s worth the wait.

Prayer Power for the Week of Sept. 10, 2017

This week take time to meditate on God’s faithfulness as you wait on Him. Thank Him that He is in control of the times and seasons of your life and that He is totally trustworthy. As you face unknown challenges ahead, declare your confidence in His almighty hand and sovereign plan for you. Continue to pray for the nation and its leaders. Remember those who have suffered loss through Hurricane Harvey and now Hurricane Irma. As we remember the 9/11 terrorist attacks this week ask God to give the president supernatural wisdom to lead and pray that the nation would unite under God. Read Psalm 27:14, Psalm 40:1-4 and Psalm 51:10.