When God Says "Wait!"

If you are anything like me, then you probably do not like to wait. You scope out the shortest check-out line at the grocery store. You pick the lane of traffic with the fewest cars waiting for the red light. You hit the elevator up button multiple times if the door doesn't close right away. You even stop the microwave three seconds before it's supposed to end.

No, I don't like to wait for the popcorn to get done, and I really don't like to wait on God.

We know we are told to wait on Him. We are told that when we pray His answer sometimes is "wait." We know that, but we usually don't like it. We want to take that next step, get to the next level, keep things in motion.

God, however, has a perfect plan that often involves our need to wait.

After praying earnestly about something for many months, the word I kept getting from God was "wait." It wasn't the answer I wanted to hear, but I finally resolved myself to do just that. In my frustration over waiting, I started looking at characters in Scripture who had to wait.

I asked, "What were they trying to do when they were told to wait?" "How long did they have to wait?" "What did they do while they were waiting?" And most importantly, "What was God doing while they were waiting?"

For some, like Abraham, their waiting time stretched into decades. Some, like Zerubbabel, started into their life's mission only to have it interrupted with a "wait." Others, like David, had multiple "wait" times in their lives stretching into several years. Regardless of the situation, there were at least four principles true of all of them:

1. They all went on with life, making the most of each day, while they waited.
2. They didn't lose faith but rather kept themselves ready for the day when they got God's green light.
3. God is still actively at work even when we are waiting, and His timing is always best.
4. Waiting wasn't the end of their dream. It wasn't a "no" to their dream. It was simply "hang in there until everything is ready for you."

I still don't like waiting, but by keeping these principles in mind I can begin to see a bigger picture. Hopefully, you can as well the next time God tells you "wait."

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Frank Banfill is an author, international speaker, and president of MaxPoint Ministries, whose purpose is to help individuals, churches and ministries reach their full potential. Please forward this blog to your family & friends. Not a subscriber? Sign up now at www.FranksBibleBlog.com.