Photo Credit: Robert Ashworth via Creative Commons

[dropcaps style= ‘square’]A[/dropcaps]s the lights started flashing, I knew that my drive to my destination was going to be delayed. I slowly came to a stop behind a line of cars waiting for the train to pass. With my foot impatiently tapping the floor and my mind mulling over this inconvenience, it occurred to me. If I can’t wait for the train, then I am too busy and too rushed. We can have these same feelings when we are waiting for other things in our lives. Maybe you are waiting for the right job, marriage, house, friends, and the list could go on. Instead of allowing God to change us through the season of waiting, we all too often stand around tapping our foot, hoping that time will pass more quickly.

The Long Road

Waiting can be a difficult thing to accept. It usually occurs at times that we wouldn’t prefer. From Abraham and David to Moses to Ruth and Esther, there are stories of waiting that remind us that we are not alone. Abraham received a promise from God that he would have a son. Years later, this promise was realized in his life. He had to go through a long season of waiting, and he learned to trust God through the process. 

 

David was anointed as king in his youth but would not assume that position until years later. God was using the season of waiting to prepare him for the battles ahead. He would come to know more fully how God was working in his life as he faced Goliath, was on the run from King Saul, and gathered a team around him. There was purpose in the season preceding his position as king. In our lives, there is purpose in waiting when we are waiting on God. He is able to orchestrate people and situations even when it seems to us that nothing has changed. When we look to God, we can be confident that He is working.

 

Changing our Perspective 

If we know the amount of time we have to wait, we can settle in and enjoy the process. Yet, when we don’t know how long this season of waiting, wondering, watching, and praying will last, it can be difficult to keep trusting God. Isaiah 40:31 (NIV) says, “But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” There is a a strength that comes into our hearts and lives when we stop waiting on outcomes and start waiting on God. 

 

If you see lights flashing in the distance or have been on the road of your life waiting for an answer for some time, don’t wish the time away. Whenever I am waiting for something and my foot impatiently starts tapping the floor, it is a reminder to slow down and be present. There are good things that are forged in our lives through waiting on the Lord. When our posture changes from being impatient, we are able to embrace the blessings that God brings while we wait. 

 

 

 

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About Hona Amer

I help people live life to the fullest. Check out my book, Smart Work U. Follow me on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram. In order to receive updates, subscribe below.

 

 

 

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Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.