Does anyone like to wait? I suspect a majority would say “not so much…”.
Remember when you were young and a long journey seemed to take forever! “Dad, are we there yet?” would be repeated over and over again. How about birthdays and Christmas, which seemed to take so long until the big day was finally here.
Fast forward to aging, where weeks, months and years pass! This is perhaps the only time when we don’t mind waiting to be able to enjoy every moment.
Then there is the hard wait. Those uncomfortable or unhappy seasons. Waiting through trials and difficulties, whether it be illness, financial difficulties or life not turning out as you had hoped…
There are many stories in the Bible about periods of waiting that lasted very long. Yet there is a common thread of behavior that connects the characters. Instead of wallowing in waiting, they did not allow themselves to be idle or paralyzed, but moved forward by “doing the next right thing.”
Let’s take a look at some of these stories and learn, through the characters’ examples, how to turn our waiting into action for the glory of God.
Fast and pray
“She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. Luke 2:37
Anna, the prophetess, was the daughter of Phanuel of the tribe of Asher. Anna was married for 7 years, then lived as a widow until the age of 84. A pious woman who spent her life worshiping in the Temple with fasting and prayer. She recognized the baby Jesus as the Messiah when Mary and Joseph brought him to the Temple, and she later praised God and shared the news of redemption with many.
Anna waited for the Messiah for 84 years through fasting and prayer. Yet she never left the temple and never stopped praying. She could have given up. Anna might have thought I must be wrong. The Messiah is not coming. Instead, she did not give up, but continued to pray. Anna is seen as an example of faithful waiting, prayer, and devotion, and is rewarded for her patience in old age, after which she testifies, sharing the story of God’s redemption…Praising her Savior.
We have all experienced, and may still be experiencing, a long-awaited answer to prayer. Sometimes it’s easy to stop thinking to yourself, “This just won’t happen.”
” Yet how sincere was our initial prayer if we give up so easily? The Lord is not working on our timeline; He is working behind the scenes. The timing of the answer depends on God’s sovereign will and His perfect timing, but that doesn’t mean we should stop praying about it. The Lord desires to hear from us. Our prayers show that we trust Him and have confidence in His timing. Not only that, it shows that we believe in Him, in the goodness His will and the perfect way He will respond. Continuous prayer is the next right thing to do.
If it is not a matter of prayer in which you are waiting, but something else in general, prayer would certainly be the first good thing you would do. Seek the Lord in waiting. Ask Him to show you what He would like you to do. This way you do not remain inactive, but you do through prayer. This act itself is powerful because it invites God into your waiting, bringing peace and endurance to this time.
If you are going through a time of illness, sorrow, loneliness, or depression, He may want you to spend a lot of time in the Word, drawing closer to Him and remembering His promises and faithfulness.
When you turn your waiting into fasting, prayer, and time spent in God’s Word, you cannot wallow in waiting because you are in the presence of the Lord.
Work with diligence and excellence
“The Lord was with Joseph, and he was a successful man… Genesis 39:2
The story of Joseph highlights a long season of waiting – through slavery and unjust imprisonment – that ultimately ends in victory, vindication, and the fulfillment of God’s purpose. Yet Joseph demonstrated true faithfulness during these trials by working diligently and with excellence, even in captivity.
As a slave in Egypt, Joseph was so successful that Potiphar put him in charge of his entire household. He managed Potiphar’s house, fields and all his property. Even after being wrongly imprisoned, Joseph found favor with the prison warden. He was responsible for all the other prisoners and was responsible for everything that happened in the prison. In prison, he used his spiritual gift to help others by interpreting the dreams of Pharaoh’s cupbearer and baker. After his release, Joseph spent the seven years of plenty building infrastructure, managing huge grain warehouses, and overseeing agricultural policy to prepare Egypt for the coming famine.
Joseph’s life shows that delay is not denial; God uses waiting times to develop character before granting influence or the desire of our heart.
Whether you are waiting for a particular job, a promotion, seeing your business take off, getting married one day, becoming a mother, whatever you are waiting for, it is a desire of your heart. “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your
heart.” Psalm 37:4. How can we rejoice in the Lord? By doing the next right thing. Which means we don’t allow ourselves to think like “I’ll never succeed at anything” or “I’ll never meet the right person and get married.” Instead, we work on ourselves. We present the best version of ourselves, regardless of where God places us. Even though you are home alone, you work diligently and excellently, cleaning your home and taking care of yourself. Or if you have a low-level job, you present yourself as someone with a high-level job. “Commit your work to the Lord and your plans will be established.” Proverbs 16:3
No matter what you are waiting for, turning your waiting into diligent and excellent work allows the Lord to shape and build your character. Think of your waiting period as a time when you do the work you need to do so that the Lord can bless you with the desires of your heart.
Hope against hope
And not being weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about a hundred years old, nor yet the death of Sarah’s womb: he staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but he was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that what he had promised he could also perform. Romans 4:19-21
The story of Abraham highlights God’s amazing promises: to make Abraham a great nation, to give his descendants the land of Canaan, and to bless all the families of the earth through his lineage. A lineage which was promised to begin in their old age with the birth of Isaac, their very first child. Abraham was 75 years old when he received this promise and waited 25 years until this son was born.
In the meantime, Abraham continued to hope against hope. Rather than weakening in unbelief, Abraham became strong in faith, giving glory to God and remaining fully convinced that God would do what he promised.
Abraham lived a lot of life before the birth of the promised son. Yet he never stopped hoping that the Lord would do as He said.
My friends and family have heard me say that I feel hopeful because I end up disappointed. The difference being that I have hope in people and their projects. How do you say, “People will disappoint you, but God will never disappoint.”
When we put our hope in the Lord, He CANNOT disappoint us, especially if, as previously mentioned, when we are at the beginning of a period of waiting, the first two good things we do are seek the Lord in prayer and then seek Him in the Word. The more time we spend in the overall Word, even before enduring a time of waiting, the more God’s Word will penetrate our hearts, and the more our desires will align with God’s will, because we will know Him so well.
When we hope against hope, our waiting period will seem easier because, like Abraham, our faith will not waver. Placing our hope in the Lord is a behavior that will pay great dividends. Even as the years pass, we can continue in hope that the Lord will provide a solution to the waiting in a way that far exceeds what we hoped for. “Now to Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us.” Ephesians 3:20
In conclusion, I can testify that I prayed for seven years that my son and daughter-in-law would be able to conceive a child naturally, even though doctors said it was physically not possible. I prayed that the Lord would glorify Himself by showing what HE could do. Not only did they conceive and give birth to my grandson, BUT last year my daughter-in-law gave birth to my granddaughter! Medically, there wasn’t supposed to be just one child, let alone two! I never gave up hope for what God could do, and HE has blessed us all abundantly!
When you turn your expectation into hope, you will be blessed.
Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you, Lord, for waiting for the seasons that grow us and ultimately bless us. Help us to transform our waiting into action to bring you glory.
What is the hardest part of your wait?
What’s the next good thing you can do while you’re in a waiting period?
Photo credit: Getty Images/Inside Creative House
Karen Del Tatto is a blogger, author, women’s ministry leader, pastor’s wife, mother, and grandmother with a passion for God’s Word. His blog Growing together in grace and knowledge and his books Choosing to Trust God: Breaking the Habit of Worrying, a 30-Day Devotional And Choosing to Trust God Companion Journal reveals her heart to provide biblical information to encourage women to grow in and through their struggles while equipping them to overcome them. Karen and her husband live in Rhode Island and enjoy walking in the woods, watching owls, and spending time with their grandchildren.