” O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is.” Psalm 63:1

Waiting is difficult for most of us. We want things to happen at the snap of a finger. We want God to move quickly. We want sickness and difficulties to rapidly pass by. I am no different than most people. I will be the first to admit that.

Currently, I find myself in a couple of situations that are in the place of waiting. I am waiting for physical therapy and my body to get back to a reasonable level of activity without pain. I am waiting for test results to come back for someone I care about that could have potentially life altering results. I am waiting for answers to questions I have before the Lord in regards to ministry next steps. I find this waiting to feel like I am in the middle of dead space, an in between land where I can faintly see something rising on the horizon for me and yet so much space exists between me and that faint horizon.

The inclination in these waiting seasons is to rush the Lord like Sarai and having a baby (Gen. 16:2). We may decide to take matters into our own hands like Aaron and the Israelites (Ex. 32:1-4). It can lead us to jump to conclusions that are not necessarily in God’s will (2 Peter 3:9). It can even make us question God’s care for us (Hab. 2:1-4). At some point in my life, I probably have done all of these plus some in previous waiting seasons. This time feels different. For me, it feels like what is illustrated above. Although it’s a flat place, at times a bit dark and dreary, it is also a calm and quiet place.

Perhaps this is due to maturity over time. This maturing came from doing all the above and paying the consequences. It comes from just living. It comes from a place of learning that God has a reason for us to wait. Waiting builds faith. Waiting builds the fruit of patience in our lives. Waiting builds trust in God’s timing which is perfect in every way. Waiting builds our prayer life and opens our ears to the whispers of the Spirit. No, waiting is never really easy, but sometimes it is necessary. If we can wait, we also have encouragement in the Word. Isaiah 40:31 is one of those encouragements I lean on: “But they that 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.”

If you find that you are in a waiting season, be encouraged, hold on and wait patiently on the Lord. Be assured God is working it out for your good (Rom. 8:28). And you can be rest assured you are never the only one who is going through a waiting season. Someone, somewhere is also going through a waiting season also.