The Wait Is…Worth It!

Welcome back!

When was the last time you had to wait, and I mean really wait? Was it for a better job offer, those new sneakers or clothes you ordered last week, your food to be done cooking, a delayed flight, or a prayer to be answered? Maybe you’ve even found yourself waiting for the day you would be in a relationship, engaged or married. Whatever it is, my friend, you had to endure a process that not many of us like: the process of waiting. 

Waiting is defined as “the action of staying where one is or delaying action until a particular time or until something else happens.” During this process, we often find ourselves growing anxious, frustrated, and impatient. It's uncomfortable because we are waiting for something unsure of the when and how it will happen. It’s much like baking a cake because it takes time, and if you remove it from the oven too soon, it won't be done. Rushing the process ruins it. Sometimes, we think about God in the same way, feeling that He isn’t moving fast enough, so we decide, "I'll do it myself.” It’s quite bold when we try to tell God what to do when He is the Creator (Elohim) and we are His creation. I hate to burst your bubble, but God does NOT operate on our time! He doesn’t need our help.

Back in 2019, I thought I was ready to make my first big girl purchase in getting my first car. I had been praying and asking God what I should do, but I had become tired of waiting on Him and grew impatient. Family, I should’ve waited!

I can’t remember the exact day, but I called my aunt and said I wanted to get a car. I asked her, “will you go with me to the dealership?” She wasn’t able to go, so I used her car to drive 30 minutes to an hour away to the dealership I wanted to visit. I walked onto that parking lot and informed the sales representative what I was looking for and what I could afford. Although I had nothing to put towards my car, I was able to leave the same day with keys to my own car. 

In the moment, I was excited not to have to share a car anymore, but after a while, that excitement left. A few months later, I was trying to get rid of the same car. Why? Because it hit me that I moved prematurely in making a purchase that I did not know how to handle in that season of my life.

It’s what I like to call ‘microwavable blessings.’ You know when you put something in the microwave and within a matter of minutes it's ready. That’s how we treat God, approaching Him with a request and expecting to receive it immediately. We do it as if He is some sort of genie in a bottle. However, He does NOT work like that, family. I am amazed at how we can be patient enough in waiting when it comes to getting our hair done or in line for an amusement park, but when it comes to waiting on God, we think He will fail us or not show up.

Newsflash: He will NEVER fail. He is an on time God!

If you know me, you know that I absolutely love music. My auntie always tells me that I have an old soul. There would be days I would randomly start singing songs, and I can remember one day in particular when I started singing a song by Juanita Bynum called, “I Don’t Mind Waiting.” Throughout that song, she sings “I don’t mind waiting. I don’t mind waiting. I don’t mind waiting, on you Lord.” I sang those words not knowing what they fully entailed, but as I’ve continued to grow in my relationship with Christ, I’ve learned that sometimes it means that I will have to wait on God. It’s in the waiting process that He is working on something on the inside that we have yet to see on the outside. 

In the end, I’ve learned that although waiting may not be enjoyable, it is the posture in waiting that matters. Put your heart into the hands of God. He won’t drop it, but He will take care of and protect it. Waiting reveals if you are willing to put all of your trust in the Lord as you wait.

Isaiah 40:31 ( AMP) says:

“But those who wait for the Lord [who expect, look for, and hope in Him]

Will gain new strength and renew their power;

They will lift up their wings [and rise up close to God] like eagles [rising toward the sun];

They will run and not become weary,

They will walk and not grow tired.”

This scripture reassures us of what will happen for those who wait for the Lord. Have faith in the waiting, even when you can’t see or touch the very thing you’ve prayed for yet (Hebrews 11:1).

Here are some things that I’ve done and still do in times of waiting:

1. Pray: It is important that you are intentional in your prayer life. God desires to hear from you. Pray the scriptures! Ask God for His will to be done, not yours. Someone I look up to shared something powerful with me about prayer. She said, “Waiting indicates that there is an expectation or belief. It also aligns with demonstrating faith.” Here are some scriptures that she shared with me:(Psalm 3:5 and Isaiah 40:31. She also shared with me the Hebrew word for wait, qava, which means to wait, look, wait for, or gather. In a biblical sense, qava means to wait, to look eagerly for, to hope, expect, to lay and wait for.  What are your expectations when you go into prayer?

1. Worship: Sometimes, when you may not have the words to express how you may be feeling, you need to turn your attention to worship. Sit in the presence of the Lord and cry out before Him. 

1. Check your posture: My posture used to be one of complaining while waiting. I realized that it wasn’t doing any good. I had to shift the way I approached the Lord. I wanted to come before His presence with gratitude and praise, regardless of having to wait. I have learned that when God says no, it isn’t to hurt my feelings. I would have mishandled what I asked for in the moment if He said yes. I have found joy in waiting. Delayed does NOT mean denied. Wait with an expectation. 

Don’t quit in the process of waiting. 

Don’t let go of your faith.

Wait on the Lord, family! 

I want to leave you with these questions: 

What are you doing while you wait? 

What is your posture while you are waiting? 

Until next time,

Lalisha