I was sitting at a signal light the other day, rather impatiently, I must admit. I was trying to “will” the light to turn green. No surprise. The light didn’t change when I wanted it to.

Many of us take that same attitude into our personal and spiritual lives. We want God’s will to happen right now on our timetable. It is not easy to see things from the Lord’s perspective.

One online site that deals with biblical questions mentioned the difficulty of waiting on God’s timing.

“Waiting on God is not only difficult; sometimes it seems impossible. We want things to happen in our own timing, according to our plans. But God doesn’t operate on our schedules, and expecting that He will… sets one up for disappointment.”

Our expectations and God’s plan don’t always align. I recall a challenging season of waiting for the Lord to open a door and show me a path…and waiting…and waiting…for almost a year. When God finally set things in motion, it was more than I could have hoped for. But to be honest, those many months were spiritually grueling. Yet, it was during this time that I experienced significant spiritual growth.

Dr. David Jeremiah wrote in one of his ministry blogs about the challenges faced when it comes to our timing versus God’s timing.

To wait on the Lord is to trust that God is at work, even when His timetable is longer than we’d like. It goes against our nature, but part of the problem is how we define “waiting.” Biblical waiting involves actively walking in step with God as He unfolds his plans. It is far more than sitting around, twiddling our thumbs.

So, if you are willing to wait, what do you do? First, be prepared for others to not understand why you are waiting. God’s voice speaks to you, but others may not hear or understand His will for you.

Pastor Charles Stanley has six things a person needs to do to wait on God successfully.

  1. You must trust God. Do you believe the Lord has a plan for your life? Then, you must trust He is working it all out for your good and His purpose.
  2. You must have patience. The Psalmist wrote:

Be still in the presence of the Lord,
and wait patiently for him to act.

Psalm 37:7 NLT

Dr. Stanley reminded us, “You never waste time waiting on God.”

  1. You need courage. Joshua didn’t know all that God had for him. The Lord had to remind Joshua repeatedly to be strong and of good courage.
  2. You need to be determined. Waiting when others urge you to do something takes determination. You must listen to the Holy Spirit over the voices of others.
  3. You need strength. The waiting task gets harder the longer it takes. Lean on the one who is our strength… Jesus.
  4. You must endure… until God moves.

The words of Isaiah ring true today for all of us who find ourselves waiting.

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 NKJV

So… when necessary…let’s wait… on the Lord.

God’s best,