Have you ever had to wait a long time for something? Longer than waiting for the timer to go off for the muffins in the oven. Longer than the 9 months it takes to grow a precious baby. Waiting for a whole season or even more than that can seem like a lifetime when you’re in the thick of it. I’ve been there. In fact, sometimes I feel like I could write a book on waiting! For the several years I prayed and waited, and prayed and waited for the Lord to bless me with the man He made for me, I learned so much. Most importantly, I learned that God wanted to be enough in my life and that He wanted me to press into all that He had for me. That in the dedication to Him, He would answer the desires of my heart in His time. This was one of the hardest but most beautiful seasons of my life. As I pressed into the Lord, He continued to reveal to me the fullness of who He is. My father who loves me, my friend and comforter who speaks to me, my protector who shields me, and so much more. I learned how to listen to the Holy Spirit to direct me in decisions big and small. I truly dedicated my time to becoming closer to my Heavenly Father.
Isaiah 40:31 says “but they who wait for 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.” So, if we WAIT on the Lord, our strength will be renewed. We will be able to soar above the trouble and see things from a higher perspective. We will also not grow weary in all God has called us to do. What does waiting actually mean here? I recently heard a teaching on this by
Christine Caine where she made the best analogy I’ve heard. She said that waiting does involve being still but it doesn’t involve doing nothing. Waiting is an action thing, but it’s not a striving thing. Think of waiting like a waiter in a restaurant, standing ready to get what the Lord has for today. Ready to serve that to those who need it! Stop doing things that deplete you. When you wait on the Lord, it completes you. The comparison to a waiter was so clear to me! If a waiter sits or even stands and does nothing, he does not receive what the customer needs and in turn does not deliver it either. A waiter does not, however, make the food himself and try to make it all happen on his own. So, when we are waiting on God, we can do it patiently but with expectation that he does have something for us!
Psalm 37:4 says “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.” When we delight in the Lord - rejoice in who He is and all He has done - our hearts desires are met. I truly believe that this is a Holy Spirit process where we are changed for the good when we press into the Lord and allow Him to reveal who He has created us to be! In the process, He also gives us our hearts desires. He literally puts the desires in our hearts! Isn’t that neat? If He puts the desires there, He will meet them. Period. So, if you are waiting, ask the Lord about it. Ask Him if this desire is HIS desire for you. I had to do that so many times. In my case, I knew that the Lord had put the desire to be married in my heart, so though I didn’t see it happening quickly, I believed without a doubt it would come to pass.
What to Remember While Waiting:
-Make time for God. Sometimes, He desires for us to surrender whatever we are waiting for so that we believe fully that He is enough, even if what we are waiting for doesn’t come to pass.
-God hears you, He really does. His lack of answer or seeming silence can be a reminder to continue leaning into Him.
-If this is a time of singleness, press into the Lord. I can’t tell you how much I despised hearing suggestions like the one I'm about to share, but I promise that it's true... You will not get this time back and how you spend it matters. Yes, do the things you want, like traveling and going on exciting adventures but don’t neglect that you have all the time in the world to spend with your Creator! I can tell you first hand that your time with Jesus will be different after getting married and having children!
-Remember that God’s timing IS best. We can rush things, we can make things happen, BUT that can mean we settle for less than the best. I was there too, but I’m so glad I waited for all that God had for me!
Lord, thank you for my friend reading this. I thank you that your word is timely and that they are here for a reason. God I ask that whatever is weighing on them, whatever they may be longing for would be answered. I ask in Jesus name that you’d reveal yourself to them and that their hearts’ desires would be made and met by you. In Jesus name, amen.
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