Waiting On Purpose

“For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay.” – Habakkuk 2:3.

Most parents believe that their kids have no patience and seem incapable of waiting for anything. Kids do not want to hear the standard two word response to their requests, “not now.” That response usually results in some sort of happiness and energy bypass that turns formally bright and happy kids into sulking and frustrated kids. Adults don’t like to wait any more than kids do. We too want everything done quickly. The truth is we are not used to waiting, and the more our culture and technology caters to the immediate, the less we feel willing to wait.

While society makes every attempt to make our life easier and faster, God works on a very different timetable. Learning to trust God means believing God’s timing is always perfect. God is never late and God is never early. Of course we don’t ever want God to be late, we want the answer right now. But God knows the right timetable.

Waiting can actually be a positive if it makes us more like Jesus. The problem is we don’t think of waiting as possibly being good.  We look it as a negative, as punishment when it is not. Waiting can be a tool God uses to help us become who He created us to be. If you are seeking God’s purpose through prayer and the answer is not forthcoming, it does not mean you are doing something wrong. It may mean that God wants you to sit tight for awhile. Waiting is simply another part of the journey, not a faux pas on your part. Something actually happens while nothing is happening. God uses waiting to change us.

Accepting God’s timing in your life begins with faith. Waiting on the Lord means we are not running ahead of the Lord, or bailing out on Him. It is staying where you are waiting to go – where God wants you to go. God will fulfill His purpose in His time.

The next time you are seeking a quick fix to a problem or circumstance in your life, please consider the following: First, God makes no mistakes. We do make mistakes. In fact, we do so regularly. But God never makes mistakes. Everything He does, He does with a purpose. When we accept and live according to His timing is when we will experience real peace and find purpose in our lives. 

Discussion Questions:

1. The old adage is true: Timing is everything. Is it true in your Christian walk?
2. What difficult situations or circumstances in your life do you need to trust God’s timing in?