Waiting is part of life. Sometimes it’s filled with anticipation: enjoying the wonderful smell of baking bread, or the excitement of awaiting the visit of a special friend.
God often asks us to wait on Him. In that process, we begin to realize, “It’s not all about me.” We begin to think more about Him. As we wait with His Scripture in our lap, we begin to learn a few things.
1. Waiting helps us to LISTEN for God’s voice. We grow more certain that He is hearing us. The Psalmist David wrote, “I wait for You, O Lord; You will answer” (Psalm 38:15). Jesus, our Good Shepherd, described how sheep listen for the voice of their shepherd and follow him because they know his voice (John 10:4).
2. Waiting is a time to WORSHIP God’s greatness. We need to realize who we’re talking to! He says, “Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations” (Psalm 46:10). We exclaim with the prophet Isaiah, “Since earliest times, no eye has seen any God besides You, who acts on behalf of those who wait for Him” (Isaiah 64:4).
3. Waiting helps us to TRUST in God’s direction. As we wait, we learn to put our hope in His Word and our trust in Him (Psalm 130:5; Isaiah 8:17). We come to understand that His way is not just better, it’s the best!
4. Waiting helps us to DEPEND on God’s power. He renews our strength and clothes us with power from on high (Isaiah 40:31, Luke 24:29). He will fight for us; we need only to be still (Exodus 14:14). God is always at work for us and within us. With Him, nothing is impossible! (John 5:17, Matthew 19:26)
When we understand how great God is, with power and wisdom far beyond ours, it becomes obvious that we have made the best choice when we wait for Him with anticipation!
To guide you in learning to wait on God, please check out the following resource: “Five Scripture Prayers for Waiting” which utilize many of the Scriptures referenced above.