I am not good at waiting. I will never pray for patience, because when you ask for that, it is almost like begging for waiting, because you need patience when you… wait. I don’t mind traffic, I usually don’t mind lines at the grocery store. But the waiting I am talking about, is waiting on God.
Sometimes waiting for God can feel like waiting for rain in a drought. It can feel useless and disappointing.
Waiting can feel like the wilderness and deserts. Who is with me here!?
But wait. God promises that there will be a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert (Isaiah 43:19). And if those are His promises, then the waiting isn’t to be wasted.
3 Things You Find In The Waiting
I am going to share with you three things that I have found while feeling like I am in the wilderness and desert called “waiting”.
Trust
In the beginning of Isaiah chapter 40, God calls Isaiah to share a message with His people that they would later need while they were in exile. I love this about God. I love that He doesn’t send His people into darkness without Hope. This message had to be like a river in the desert. The message that Isaiah shares is that those who would wait on Him (other translations say hope, or trust) even while in exile will be comforted, have renewed strength, and fly on wings like eagles.
Waiting provides us a time to increase our trust and hope in Him. A time when we let trust fill in the gaps in our faith, we see that He is faithful in the waiting, and that our hope doesn’t disappoint.
Rest and Growth
We went through a really rough few weeks this Fall. I won’t get into the details. But I got to a point where I just wanted to walk away from everything I was passionate about. My blog, women’s ministry at church. All of it. During a really tough week, God whispered You can walk away if you want. It was the first time I felt like I ever had a choice in following Him, because for me if God says jump, I am going to jump. It’s usually that simple (yet still so complicated).
And usually I can work past the desires to walk away, but this was different than other times. I guess it kind of felt like the wilderness. I didn’t know the way. Everything felt so uncertain in life. If ever I wondered where He was leading, and if I was hearing Him right, and if I was following Him and not some selfish desires… this was the icing on that cake.
So I reached out to the lovely ladies that write for Candidly Christian and asked for prayer. Usually I reach out to friends, but for some reason I needed women praying for me that didn’t know me well. Maybe because of the depth of what I was going through. And one of them said that when she was praying for me, she felt God wanted to her to share the word “rest” with me.
Rest. I remember when my son, Charlie, first started sleeping through the night. I felt like a new person. Sleep felt good, rest felt refreshing, and I felt more capable and strengthened to take on the day. I remember why babies sleep so much, and what happens when they sleep. They grow. Just like babies grow when they are resting, we grow when we are at rest in the Lord.
Waiting is a time to rest in Him, and you grow as you rest. And the way… well sometimes, you just have to take one tiny step in front of another, knowing He will make a way, even in the uncertainty.
Identity
How many things that we wait for are part of our identity?
You may be waiting for a husband, or to be a mom. You may be waiting for a job, or maybe you are waiting for healing. About a year ago I was transitioning out of my job because God lead me to step out of the boat in faith, and follow the passions He placed in my heart long ago. I didn’t realize that in that I would be losing part of my identity. You see. I have had a job ever since I was 16. Swim Instructor. Retail manager. Hostess. Retail manager. Associate Director of Grant Administration.
That was all part of identity. Now, I am not waiting for a job, but in not having one, I have had to reevaluate where my true identity lies, and sometimes wrestle with it. Realizing again that my identity first and foremost needs to be in Christ, and not in any title, apart from His child. So much of what we wait for holds new identity. But while you are waiting, don’t miss securing your identity in Him. The security of knowing you are His daughter, is worth the waiting.
So, Beautiful One, while you are waiting pursue Him like a dying woman in the desert waiting for that river. That is where you are going to find your true identity. Seek Him like you are desperate for a way in the wilderness. Because there is a way, because He is the way. And let your trust in Him fill in the gaps of your faith while you wait, because waiting should never be wasted.
What About You?
What are you waiting for? We would love to hear what you have learned while you have been waiting. Would you share it with us?
Waiting is HARD for me too! Right now we are in a waiting period with my husband’s career – and it seems like forever. Good reminder to trust the One who holds us in His hands.
I am not a fan of waiting, yet have found it is a gift. A good one too… one that you didn’t know you needed.
I am right there with you on trust! I am no good at waiting but I am always amazed after the fact because God always comes through in such amazing ways. Waiting had taught me that He is a God who can be relied on.
I like that. And if He can be relied on, then there is a purpose.
I completely identified with this post. Thank you for sharing. I am not a patient person either. One of the hardest things for me to do is wait. Blessings to you!
Yes so many valuable lessons are learned in God’s waiting room. Its where God gets my attention, where I hear his voice the clearest where he reveals his greatest plans. I don’t always like waiting but God always reminds me he has the best timing!