Just reading the word "WAIT" used to get me upset. After waiting so incredibly long for something, how do you tell someone to "just be patient!"? Like it's no big deal. I'm one of the most patient people I know, but after waiting years for something I had been praying for, it still didn't get any easier. Then I realized, it's not so much about the wait itself or even how long I've been waiting, but my attitude during the wait.
So, let's talk about HOW we're waiting. In case you missed my previous post, "What's the Rush?" please feel free to check it out here to find out more about how God responds to us in His perfect time, not ours. I know we hear this over and over but some of us just don't get it. Some healing & deliverance is immediate and sometimes it's a process. There's no use in getting frustrated with Him over how long that process is going to take because ultimately it's out of our control & His timing really is best. If we have a problem accepting that, then maybe the issue isn't the delivery time of what we're waiting on and more so the pride and entitlement attitude we need to be stripped of first.
I can't even begin to tell you the speed at which my prayers were answered for so many different prayer requests, once my attitude changed. Once I stopped trying to rationalize my stance and negotiate a response time, once I stopped shaking my puny fist at the sky, once I stopped pouting & whining, once I stopped giving God the silent treatment & once I stopped reviewing my track record with Him on all the self-less things I had done that made me a "good" Christian, then something happened. I realized how utterly immature and ridiculous I had been acting and begged for forgiveness. That transitioned into an "Ok God, I trust you. I really trust you this time, it's not just lip service. I will look for the good in what your doing in me and around me and even take note of it. I will CHOOSE joy during this wait." Not long after that, my prayer was answered. If you're waiting for God to show up please know that He's already there, but if you're waiting for Him to act or have been praying for a radical miracle for quite some time, please don't give up, but do, check your attitude. It's not just about the wait but if we're waiting well.
I'm NOT saying all delays are due to an attitude problem either. Some delays are much bigger than us. We could be fighting against generational curses, or need to be delivered from some major strongholds. (Please stop by the HH Prayer page for more on deliverance). Not every unanswered prayer or long wait season is that cut and dry. The sins committed by those around us or towards us can also have the potential to impact our lives negatively, so we are up against a lot.
I'm using the word season because I want to emphasize it being only a set period of time. It HAS an end. It comforts me to know when something uncomfortable won't last forever. It seems to make it more tolerable in my opinion. Like our 4 seasons, we can count on them lasting about four months each. Sometimes they linger just a bit or they change quickly right as we were starting to get comfortable. A fact you can bank on though, is that each season eventually gives way to the next one. It has to, that’s just how God designed the laws of nature. Knowing that something won’t last forever always helps me to tough it out a little bit more when I find myself in a place that’s not my favorite. Ironically enough, when I’m loving a place or season and am so super comfortable there, something comes to shake it up and it’s time to switch. I’ve grown to appreciate these times as bitter sweet as they may be. It just goes to show you that nothing lasts forever. That includes your stormy season or rough patch. Check out Ecclesiastes Chap 3 for more on these inevitable changes and God's timing for almost everything under the sun. Be encouraged, remember, it’s temporary!
"His timing really is best. If we have a problem accepting that, then maybe the issue isn't the delivery time of what we're waiting on and more so the pride and entitlement attitude we need to be stripped of first."
You might not be able to SEE the light at the end of the tunnel, but I hope you find comfort knowing that there IS one. I don’t know what you’re waiting on right now. It could be anything. A job offer, trying to conceive your first child, deliverance from an addiction, a medical report from the doctor, a court date that will seemingly set the course of your life, a settlement, a word from the Lord, or to meet the love of your life. It could be anything really, but what I do know is that whatever you’re waiting on, your attitude during the wait, could make all the difference. Some of you are fighting the thought that He’s forgotten about you. Or we think we’re waiting because He’s punishing us. Or if you’re like me, thinking that you did something to ruin His plan for your life. (I had to come to realize that I’m just not that powerful, haha). He’ll come through for you as He always does. There are so many lessons to learn DURING the wait, that we’re honestly better off looking for what those lessons are, and straight up asking Him, "what are you trying to teach me?" Because honestly, the faster you learn the lesson, the faster you can move on from the season especially if it’s a difficult one. If we learned anything from the Israelites, it’s how not to turn an 11-day road trip into a 40-day journey. For some of us, it’s a matter of choosing to let go of the control we thought we had but never really did to begin with. Jokes on us.
Check out these verses below:
The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. Lamentations 3:25
Wait patiently for the LORD. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the LORD. Psalm 27:14
….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. Isaiah 40:31
Seeing a trend here? He's telling us to wait so many times and it's always for good reason. There are promises to be fulfilled for those who do wait. Our faith grows when we wait, we mature ourselves when we wait. The perspective we've been praying to have comes when we wait. Waiting is never in vain when we're waiting on God. Everything He does is intentional. Silence that voice of the enemy that says you're missing out, or that time is being wasted. No time is ever wasted when it's spent waiting on our Heavenly Father. He has a way of making up for lost time when He acts on our behalf anyway. Please relax Honey. Look for the lessons. Watch what He's doing during the wait and I'm sure you'll be so thankful He slowed you down.
Happy Healing!
Love,
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