“Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary, his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength.” Isaiah 40:28-29
Tom Petty famously sang, “The waiting is the hardest part!” I couldn’t agree more! We all experience the daily frustrations of waiting. Maybe it’s unexpected traffic on the way to an important meeting or an extra-long wait for a table at lunch. But, what about the longer seasons of waiting – waiting to be noticed for a promotion at work, to finally meet the right person, to start a family, to make it through a health crisis. How do we navigate the prolonged seasons of waiting? What do we do while we wait?
When it comes to waiting, God wants a perspective shift. You see, waiting positions us to experience more of God’s love and grace in our lives – while we wait. In fact, waiting can be an opportunity to see God work in ways we could not see otherwise.
- Waiting Reveals Who’s in Control.
Hindsight is always 20/20. But, God exists outside the boundaries of time. He is all seeing and all-knowing, unlimited by time and space. What a relief to recognize that He is not limited to our seeing and understanding. While we wait, we are invited to trust in the one who sees what we cannot.
- Waiting Restores Strength.
When all other options fail, waiting positions us to see that it was never about our strength in the first place. Only when I find myself at the end of myself can I begin to trust in the power of God. Waiting invites us to see that God is far greater than any strength we could ever muster on our own. Waiting helps us to see that God is still at work revealing His love and grace, especially when we need it the most.
- Waiting is a Gift of God’s Grace.
God knows that we would never choose to wait, so He provides opportunities to wait in order to see that His way is actually the best way. He uses the wait to grow our faith as we acknowledge our need for Him and learn to trust Him. While not easy, God uses waiting to demonstrate His love and grace. The secret to surviving the wait is understanding that God never wastes our waiting. He uses it to do a work in our lives so that he can do a work through our lives.
So, what are you waiting for? Whatever it is, don’t waste it. Ask God to show you what to do in your life and the lives of others – while you wait.
Taken from a sermon by George Wright, Senior Pastor, Cedarcrest Church
