Waiting. It seems like so much of our lives involve waiting. We wait in traffic, we wait in line at the store, we wait in line at our kids schools, and we wait at the doctor’s office. But it’s not just in the everyday things that we have to wait, waiting is even a part of the enjoyable things we do. We wait in line at the airport just to wait on the plane so that we can wait in line at the theme park. Waiting is just a part of our lives.

Not only is it a part of our lives, but it’s frustrating because we want what we want when we want it. And we want it now. We live on-demand lives. We are conditioned to expect the result or answer at the drop of a hat. Waiting well is a lost art.

Waiting is also a part of our spiritual lives. There are times that the Lord asks us to wait too. But the waiting he asks us to do is not meant for our frustration but rather for our growth. It is meant for our refinement and his glory.

It is sometimes easier to wait on the Lord for my needs than it is to wait on his work in another person’s life. The best example of that is parenting. We can lose heart when our kids have the same fears this year as they did last year. We can become frustrated when they don’t trust us more than we think they should. And we experience that frustration for years after they come home. But in the midst of all of that, I hear the Lord whisper, “wait.” I hear him say His grace is sufficient and that his power is perfect.

Learning to wait well is part of our spiritual formation. Keep trusting and praying as you wait patiently for him to act.

Prayer

Lord, In this world that demands an answer now, teach me to wait patiently. I know that your timing is perfect and that you know what is best for me and my family. I confess that I don’t understand all of your ways, but help me be still in your presence.

In Jesus name, Amen

Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act. – Psalm 37:7 (NLT)

Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.