Difficulty in life is not the real difficulty.  It is the uncertainty of time associated with the difficulty that really troubles us.  If you know you are going to wait at the doctor’s office for an extra twenty minutes, you may not like it, but you can handle it.  But if you were to wait without anyone communicating to you that it would take an extra twenty minutes…well, now, that’s the issue.  It’s time, really, and all of its extended uncertainties that cause us to be anxious.

Waiting is the hardest bunch of nothing that I’ve ever had to do.  That may sound confusing and grammatically incorrect, but it is true- waiting is tough, and seemingly useless. If it were up to me and you, we would never wait, would we?  Not for traffic lights, not for doctors’ visits, not for food, not for phone calls, not even for God.  If it were up to us, we would never wait on Him for an answer.  We would never wait on Him for healing.  We would never wait on Him for provision. All would be perfect if we could exempt ourselves from the waiting lines of life. The only problem with such thinking is that it usurps God from His throne and wickedly places our will above His.  Such a notion is hellish in all of its ways. John Newton said, “If it were possible for me to alter any part of His plan, I could only spoil it.”  And spoil it we would if we forfeited the waiting processes of God.  God has orchestrated life with velvety ropes, and sometimes the lines are long.  But such a reality is always a benefit for His child.  Consider a few blessings that come with waiting on God.

Waiting Affirms Dependency

The very idea of waiting on God is an affirmation of your need and dependency upon Him. The Bible says, “They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength.” We are not waiting on ourselves, because if we could resolve the issues in our own power, we would do it quickly.  Rather, we are waiting on God, and in waiting on God, we recognize that He alone is Jehovah-Jireh.  Andrew Murray said, “Before we fully understand all that is implied in our waiting on God, and before we have been able to cultivate the habit, let this truth enter into our souls: Waiting on God, unceasing and entire dependence upon Him, is the true and only religion in heaven and earth, it is the one unalterable and all-comprehensive expression for the true relationship to the ever-blessed one in whom we live.”

Waiting Affords Development

The initial moments of life testify to the benefits of waiting.  Within the womb, a child is developed, nurtured and grown.  That special time in the sacred safety of his mother is a season where the purest of bonds are formed- a bond that will last a lifetime. Rare is the moment that compares to the first embrace of mother and child; waiting affords such a engagement.  Not only is the bond created, but the ability for the child to grow is cultivated in the womb.  Such could be said for the child of God as he waits on the Lord. Uniquely crafted, God, in the waiting, cultivates a special place, a shaded refuge where He longs to know you and you know Him.  In that process He develops, nurtures, and grows your faith and your understanding of His goodness.  It is there He prepares you for life and all of its challenges.

Waiting Accentuates Deity

Allow me to point out an underlying truth about waiting:  The very concept and idea of waiting is a concept of authority.  You wait because someone or something is dictating it.  You wait at the red light because you recognize the moral law of the concept.  You wait on test results because you recognize the advanced intelligence of the one administering the test.  You wait on God because, well, He is God, and He is above and before all beings.  His authority supersedes all others. Therefore, God allows His children to wait so that when the strength is renewed, when the child is restored, when the bill is paid, when the home is repaired, when the mind is settled, when the job is secured, when the peace is felt, when the answers are provided, there will be no denying Him the glory.

So go ahead and wait, it may be awhile…but always worth it.