Waiting

No one likes to wait, yet we do a lot of waiting in our lives. One of the first things we learned in school was get in line—and wait.

While you are waiting, here are seven considerations about waiting:

Do not let anxiety spoil your patience. Waiting takes patience and waiting develops patience. Since you are going to do a lot of waiting in your life, you need to allow patience to grow without the burden of anxiety. Remember the old saying, “A watched pot never boils.”

Pray believing, wait in faith. You should not wait to pray; pray and wait. God can and does answer some prayers instantly. Other times, you will have to wait for God’s answer to materialize. If you have prayed about a certain thing, leave it in God’s hands. Worrying about the outcome is counterproductive to faith.

Stay busy while you wait. Maybe you have prayed about something big, yet there are smaller options within reach. If that is the case, while you wait on God for the big thing, do the smaller things. I believe God will honor those small steps.

Occupy your time, until it is your time. If you are not careful, you can wallow in the weariness of waiting while overlooking the opportunities within reach. “One bird in hand is of more value than two in the bush.”

Prepare yourself during the wait. There are many different quotes about opportunity and preparedness. Here is one I use (not sure if it is an original), “Opportunity is a door that opens for the prepared.” Whatever opportunity you are waiting on, prepare for it today.

Consider God’s timing in the wait. There will always be those who have a purpose from God, but their foolish zeal will cause them to step through the door too soon. They spoil the process and outcome of God’s purpose by their unwillingness to wait on God’s timing.

Is it worth the wait? It is sad but some folks wait for a happening that will never come. Unrealistic desires waste a lot of time and emotional energy on nothing. We need to be realistic about God’s desire versus our expectation. Do not wait on a pipe dream. Godly wisdom will separate the real and foolish dreams.

Do not waste a wait. There are 525,600 minutes in a year. No one has more or less than anyone else regardless of their status, income, education, or location. You should protect your time and current opportunities. It is important to do something while you wait, whether it is a short wait or a long one. Don’t miss the bus waiting on a plane.

My final word, I never have regretted waiting on Jesus, His timing is worth the wait and His purpose is eternal.

Wait on the LORD; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the LORD! (Ps. 27:14 NKJV).

Yours on the Journey,

Harry L. Whitt