How to Wait When You're Waiting

Wait for It...

Isaiah 40:31 (ESV)

31 but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;

they shall mount up with wings like eagles;

they shall run and not be weary;

they shall walk and not faint.

No matter how old you are or what your career status is, we are all in a season of waiting. And we should be. We should all be hopefully waiting upon the Lord for the next assignment, the next promotion, or even just the next phase of life. There is joy in waiting. There is hope in waiting.

Our society tells us that we shouldn’t have to wait. Even a misunderstanding of what it means to stand in faith can lead you to believe that waiting isn’t something you should have to do. “Faith is now,” right? It is, but full manifestation requires waiting. There are things that God has designed just for you that are worth waiting for. You wouldn’t want them as they are now. They’re growing. They’re developing. They’re maturing.

James 1:2–12 (ESV)

2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

9 Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, 10 and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away. 11 For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits.

12 Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.

We’re all waiting for something. Romans 8 tells us that even creation is waiting eagerly for its redemption. How you wait for the promises of God determines how long you’ll wait and just how successful you’ll be when you receive what you’ve waited for.

Faith is the underlining theme of all of this, but what is the work of our faith that’s necessary to keep it alive? We can’t just sit back and do nothing and call it waiting. Waiting is an active word. Think about a waiter at a restaurant. If you’re doing nothing, you’re not earning anything. Waiting means serving actively. Before I give you five ways to wait with your faith, I want to tell you that the foundation of this is love. Faith without love doesn’t work. It’s just a wish. Faith without works is dead and faith works by love. If you’re going to wait in faith, you’d better wait in love. Keep that at the front of your mind as we go through these five things. You can’t do it without love. No one has ever received the promises of God with a hateful, strife-filled heart. So then, how do we put our faith to work in the season of waiting?

HOW TO WAIT WITH FAITH

1.) Patiently. James 1 tells us that the who remains steadfast is blessed. Ecclesiastes 7:8 says that the end of something is better than the beginning and that patience is better than pride. Proverbs 15:18 says that patience brings peace. Romans 12:12 says to be patient in tribulation. It’s easy to get impatient when it seems like things aren’t going well or they’re not happening according to your timeline. It baffles me that we ask the God who exists outside of time to adhere to our timing. Microwaves produce worse results than ovens. Be patient. Not grudgingly or complaining. Just keep waiting.

2.) Humbly.

James 4:6 (ESV)

6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

In your waiting, stay away from things that will put you in a place of arrogance. The best way to stay humble while you’re waiting for the promises of God to be fulfilled? Serve someone else. Lay aside the vision in your heart and willingly take on someone else’s. It will teach you a lot and keep your heart in a place to receive the grace you need to walk in the fullness of what God has for you. Walking in pride is one of the fastest ways to short-circuit God’s plan for your life and sabotage what you’re waiting for.

3.) As a good steward of your current season.

Where you are now is not where you’ll always be, but there is a purpose in your current season. Finding that purpose and doing well with it positions you for excellence in the next season. David is a great example of this. Do you know how long it was after Samuel anointed David that he actually became King of Israel? Fifteen years. He could have easily abandoned his assignment in the field in anticipation of his destiny in the palace. David chose instead to be a good shepherd. A good armor bearer. A good son. A good brother. God wants to get you to the next level, but you have to demonstrate faithfulness and excellence where you are now.

Luke 16:10 (ESV)

10 “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.

Cutting corners as a student is a bad precedent to set if your desire is to be in vocational ministry. Paul gives Timothy a lot of instructions about church order and leadership, and one thing he consistently says is that people who want to lead in the house of God have to be taking care of their own families and homes. What do you have in your hand right now? Do well with it.

4.) With thanksgiving.

It’s easy to be ungrateful when you don’t have what you want. Thanksgiving is the language of faith. Thank God for what you have now, thank God for where He’s brought you from, and thank God for what He’s going to do next. You don’t have to see it to be grateful for it; that’s what faith is.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 (ESV)

18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

God’s will for you is to be grateful in every season and every circumstance. As you’re waiting, be thankful!

5.) With fight.

1 Timothy 1:18 (ESV)

18 This charge I entrust to you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies previously made about you, that by them you may wage the good warfare,

The devil wants to end you before you get to the place God’s called you. In Timothy’s season of waiting, Paul encouraged him to not forget all that had been prophesied about him. He told him to use what had been spoken about him to wage the good warfare or fight the good fight. When the devil tries to tell you that you’re not qualified for the purpose of God for your life, remind Him what has been said about you. If you think no one has ever prophesied about your life, read the book. It’s not a foretelling of your future that speaks about you, it’s the forthtelling of the Word of God. It says you’re healed. It says you’re victorious. It says that He knows the plans He has for you. Plans for hope. Plans for future. That’s for you. It says you have the mind of Christ. It says you’re more than a conqueror through Him who loves you. It says greater is He that’s in you than He that’s in the world. That’s what it says about you. So while you’re waiting in faith for what’s next, get militant in the way you confess the Word about you over your life.