Waiting Is Not Easy

No one likes to wait! It’s tough waiting when it is for something you desire or something you desperately need. Waiting is not easy! But truthfully it is rewarding. Waiting patiently for something you desire or need transforms you and does great work within you.

Think about clinical tests. The ones that are rapid provide less information but the ones that take longer to process patient samples provide more information and more depth. It is easier to diagnose the patient when the results provided are more robust and detailed, but those results require time. Or, another example, imagine coming home after work and needing a good meal. Your options are a microwaved meal or a pressure-cooked meal. I bet you already know which one will taste better, but the downside is that there is a long wait attached. A microwaved meal is quick and fills your stomach quickly, but the taste is sub-par compared to the pressure-cooked meal. You can’t truly savor and appreciate the meal that came faster compared to the one that took time.

'The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, To the soul who seeks Him.'

- Lamentations 3:25

Waiting allows us to see the value of hard work, patience and perseverance. Like James 1:4 says, waiting builds our character and does perfect work within us. We develop humility. We learn to let go of control and lean on God. We appreciate what we receive more when we wait. Often, in our lives, we question God as to when the promise will be fulfilled or the prayers answered. We become anxious as we wonder when things are going to happen. But we are told to be anxious for nothing and to trust in God (Philippians 4:6-9), to wait on Him.

'But 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.'

- Isaiah 40:31

It is not only about waiting, but how we wait as well. Waiting can be fulfilling if we learn to enjoy the wait. We must see the good in the wait. We must trust that everything is working for our good. We must trust that all things will work out well in the end. We must not murmur or complain but find joy in the wait, knowing that God has us in His hands.

‘If we learn to enjoy waiting, we don’t have to wait to enjoy’

– Kazuaki Tanahashi

I know waiting is not easy, but it is so very rewarding. Wait with patience, humility, trust and joy. Release control. Wait confidently on God because He never fails, and He never will fail.