I said a prayer, held my breath, and clicked submit. Now, we wait…
I don’t know about you but I don’t like to wait. In our instant gratification society, we are conditioned to get results fast: fast food; instant approval; online appointments; same day delivery… the list goes on and on. But what if the process takes a long time? What if the results don’t come back quickly? How do we conduct ourselves as we wait?
Stay positive
When we don’t receive an answer quickly, it is easy to become discouraged. We question God’s plan, wonder if we heard Him correctly, and even second guess if we truly want what we’re waiting for. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:9) God tells us in His word that He doesn’t adhere to our process and timeline. Our role is to believe God is able to deliver the thing we’re waiting for when and IF He decides it is right for us.
Be open minded
If God’s ways are not our ways, that means there may be more than one way to bring about the thing we’re waiting for. His plan for us is perfect and He is careful not to bring us things we are not equipped to handle. The process just may not look the way we thought it hoped. God has a purpose in the wait and uses the period of waiting to prepare our hearts and minds for what is coming next, we need only trust Him!
Don’t allow the wait to be a weight
The Bible teaches us about fasting and how we should conduct ourselves during that time. We are to keep our sacrifice private, maintain our personal grooming and care, and go about our daily lives as normal. We need to do this as we wait as well. It’s easy to become consumed by the thing you’re waiting for. Our lack of patience becomes overwhelming and soon we’re irritated and lashing out at those around us, weighed down by the unmet expectation.
How we wait speaks volumes to God and shows our heart about what we’re waiting for. He wants us to be passionate about the opportunities He calls us to, but sometimes God also wants us to consider a bigger picture so we can maintain a balance in our lives. When we wait with desperation, we often make that thing bigger than God intended it to be and we lose focus on His purpose in it.
At the end of the day waiting well allows us to say “It is well with my soul.”
Be blessed!
Jennifer
“But those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31