Join us this Sunday! In-Person 9:00am & 10:45am, Online 9:00am, 10:45am & 5:00pm

Join us this Sunday! In-Person 9:00am & 10:45am, Online 9:00am, 10:45am & 5:00pm

Join us at the next Sunday worship service:
In-Person
9:00am & 10:45am,
Online 9:00am, 10:45am & 5:00pm

Waiting and Trusting

We depend on you, Lord, to help and protect us. You make our hearts glad because we trust you, the only God.”  –  Psalm 33:20-21 (CEV).

Most people hate to wait. It starts with childhood when the last thing you want to hear from a parent is “not now.” Even in adulthood, we want everything done quickly, and culture today just exacerbates that frustration. We are not used to waiting, and the longer it goes, the less we are willing to wait. That dislike of waiting creates some tension for Christians because God works on a very different timetable. In His mind, nothing is wrong with waiting. In fact, waiting can actually be a positive thing. 

There have been times in my life where waiting was absolute torture. Times when I wanted closure, or to plow ahead to get done what I wanted to get done. I know that God always hears me, and often answers in amazing, unexpected, and sometimes very subtle ways. But, when I am chomping at the bit to get going, it can seem like my prayers are falling on deaf ears. 

Hindsight, is 20/20 however. When I reflect on how I wanted something resolved versus how it was actually resolved, I can see why waiting was a good idea. We need to trust God for the long-haul. It might be scary to give up that control in the short-run, but we can trust that He has a much wider view and perspective on what we really need than we could ever hope to have. Fortunately, God is not as short-sighted as I am.  

Remember the biblical story of Peter walking on water. Peter was fine when he kept his eyes on Jesus. We see all the problems swirling around us when we step out of the boat. And we wonder how in the world are these things going to turn out okay. Like Peter, we need to be focused and patient and keep moving towards the outstretched hand of Jesus. Once we try to do this ourselves, we will sink into the water. We need to continuously ask for God’s assistance in overcoming our fears, in waiting for His guidance. Even when I can’t see what that long-term outcome is going to be, I can be sure that He has the perfect plan for my life and all I have to do is keep my mind and heart open to his guidance, and then take a deep breath, ask for patience and wisdom to embrace the waiting, and trust that God is on the case, even if I don’t specifically see anything happening at any given moment.

God asks me to look beyond myself. True trust begins by acknowledging God, His wisdom, and His ways, and then choosing to act on what we’ve acknowledged. Do I trust God enough to wait for Him?

Discussion Questions

  1. Have you experienced a situation when God was late that still doesn’t make sense? What’s it like to go through that?
  2. God’s delays are not God’s denials. Agree or disagree and why? 

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