Wait Here

Last week, God fussed at me (He does that occasionally….or often…who’s to say). I had gotten impatient, moved too quickly (I’m really good at that), and stuck my hand in His plan. He made the promise, He gave the instruction, and…I may or may not have been aiming for extra credit, and I don’t think that move had high approval ratings in Heaven. While He was fussing, He said something that…sparked something in me (that’s so God by the way lol). He asked me a question that He now wants me to ask you: do you want it bad enough to wait for it? ​

I am, and yet, I am not a patient person. I can handle a wait…for a while. Once that internal meter breaks, I tend to get restless. I look around & try to figure out what it is that I can do that’ll move this along. I’m a mover. I’m a worker. So God spends a lot of time telling me to sit down somewhere. The main thing that gets on my nerves about waiting is that waiting is not nearly as…poetic as we make it sound. My father used to always ‘patience is a virtue that you have to acquire’. That sounds so pretty, you know? Isaiah says that ‘those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint’. Now THAT sounds BEAUTIFUL, right?! So…why doesn’t waiting seem that beautiful in the moment? If I felt like an eagle soaring on a sunny day all the time, I wouldn’t be discouraged (which is what triggers my restlessness). If my strength was in constant revival mode, I’d be alright. Yet…waiting rarely feels poetic. Waiting on God rarely feels beautiful. Honestly, waiting on God is tough. It’s rarely easy, but it’s always worth it. 

     God does not make us wait on the promise because He needs time to create it. He’s God; He doesn’t need assembly time. He doesn’t need time at all, because He resides in eternity (time is chump change). He does not make us wait because He needs to wait on somebody to pay Him back before He can give something to you. He’s God; every piece of every currency known to man belongs to Him. God doesn’t even make us wait for His own entertainment. Your pain is His pain. Your sadness is His sadness. Furthermore, Psalms 84:11 says that He won’t withhold a good thing from you. Sometimes, God makes us wait to see if we truly want what we’ve asked for. 

     As…people, we tend to treat things better when we’ve worked for them. Working for something connects you to it. Working for something requires you to invest in it. Working for something requires sacrifice. Working requires consistency. Working requires dedication. Working requires effort. Some things may be placed in your hand, but we tend to cherish what we work for. Waiting is working. Waiting on God connects you to Him, because we can only survive the wait by depending on and spending time with Him. Waiting on God requires you to invest in Him, because as you decrease, He increases. Waiting on God requires you to sacrifice your will, your plan, and your desires. Waiting on God requires consistency, because you can’t wait in spurts; you’re either in it or you’re not.

     Furthermore, I’ve learned that while you’re waiting, God is working. He’s working on your character, to ensure that your gift won’t take you to a place that your character won’t be able to keep you. He’s working on your mind. He’s working on your habits and the desires of your heart. He’s creating the person that can handle what your spirit has asked for. You asked for the blessing; God is preparing you for the burden that will surely come with it. However, you won’t get either of them if you don’t wait on Him to complete the work that we call ‘the wait’. 

     Do you want whatever it is that you’ve prayed for, or whatever it is that God has promised you enough to wait on His timing? Do you still want it if it takes twice as long as you thought it would? Do you want it if it means that you have to wait through God’s silence? Do you still want it if it means that you have to wait while He works? Do you want the promise enough to release your will, your deadlines, your way and/or your plans? 

     It’s easy to say yes to those questions. Internally, we probably all believe that’s the “good Christian” thing to do. However, before we go, I want to encourage to not just say ‘yes’, but to live a ‘yes’. God has never had me wait on anything, and given me something short of ‘exceedingly, abundantly, above all that [I] could ask or think’. He’s never had me wait and left me unanswered or disappointed. Waiting doesn’t feel poetic, and it doesn’t feel beautiful, but I learned that when it’s all over, we tend to come forth as pure gold. For those that may be waiting, I’d encourage you to wait on the Lord, and to be of what the Bible calls ‘good courage’, because it is in those moments that He’ll strengthen your heart. If God has you waiting on anything, it’s because He’s working on you. Be still, and know that He is God (so He’s got this). Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord. His ways are higher for a reason; His plans are higher for a reason. The wait is not a waste of time; in the end, it’s a work of art. Wait…and watch Him work. 

Background music: Everlasting God - William Murphy & Wait on the Lord - Donnie McClurkin feat. Karen Clark-Sheard

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