Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. (Psalms 37:7)
Persistent patience. I heard this phrase several years ago, and it stuck with me. Patience, to me, has always seemed like a passive endeavor. Truthfully I equated times of waiting with wasted time. Turns out nothing could be farther from the truth.
God is at work in the waiting.
That’s a difficult concept for me. I learned just how difficult while our son was serving in the military. That time involved a lot of waiting.
I don’t know about you, but waiting patiently isn’t one of my top 10 favorite things to do. I hate being patient. Whatever it is—I want it, and I want it now. I would like to blame this trait on the time I live in and the environment around me. After all, we live in a world of instant results.
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That’s never truer than when someone we love is struggling. I wasted a lot of time while our son was deployed, worrying and fretting, refusing to be patient. But in spite of that, God had a lesson to teach me. I learned that it’s in the waiting that I grow closer to Him and stronger in my faith.
I learned that if God had given me the answer I sought—the moment I asked—I would have missed out on so much. I would have missed the sweet prayer time, the fellowship with others who shared in my journey and the ultimate joy of something anticipated and achieved. I would have also missed out on being used by God to teach and comfort others as they saw Him work in my life.
Learning to wait has given me strength of character and a much wider perspective.
What are you waiting for? Use this time to walk closer with God and watch the amazing things He does for you—and through you!
