3 Ways We Grow in Seasons of Waiting

My family often jokes that I have the uncanny ability to pick the longest line in the grocery store. It doesn’t matter how many people are in front of us, or how many items that they have, inevitably, my family and I must stand and wait. It has gotten to the point where my son will ask, “Please don’t let dad pick the check-out line!” 

Waiting is a constant reality for our lives. We wait at traffic lights and traffic jams; we wait in grocery lines and check out tills. We wait for busses and taxis, airplane arrivals and boat departures. Everywhere we go, we are faced with the need to stop, to be still, to await our turn. Some find this relaxing; some find it frustrating. 

Waiting is also a reality in the life of faith. God continually calls his people to wait for the activity of the Spirit to be revealed. In fact, the history of Israel is a history of constant waiting. From Egypt to Exile, the people waited for their redemption, looking forward to the Messiah. We, today, join in this waiting. We wait for Christ’s return, and for the full establishment of God’s kingdom upon the earth.

Like waiting at the check-out, waiting for the realization of God’s promises can feel frustrating at times. Have you ever asked yourself “Why must I wait for the good things of God?” If so, you are not alone. Still, waiting is an important activity for our faith. Waiting is instructive, inspirational, and transformative. Here are three things to keep in mind when we are called to a time of waiting.

1. An Invitation to Act Faithfully

We commonly picture waiting as a negation of activity. It is a time wherein we stop all movement and forward progression. We stand still. We do nothing. In this way, waiting is defined by what it is not, rather than what it is. Waiting is not active; it is not movement. 

Scripture, however, has a different understanding of waiting. The Old Testament often uses the word qavah when describing the call to wait. Qavah expresses an eager looking forward to something, or something. Psalm 27:14 says, “Wait for the Lord, be strong and let your heart take courage: wait for the Lord.”

Waiting, in Scripture, is the active turning to the Lord. In waiting we place all our attention on the Lord’s presence and engage with the work of the Spirit. Waiting for the Lord demands we recognize that the Lord is present. Thus, as the Psalmist waits for their redemption to be revealed, they are called to set their hearts firmly within the presence of God; to rest in the bold assurance of faith.

The act of waiting, therefore, is an activity in and of itself. Even though waiting necessarily points to something beyond us, waiting calls us to exercise our faith. We trust in God’s presence for today. Waiting involves being attentive to God and God’s work. 

Waiting is an invitation to act faithfully. Paul writes that we do not lack any spiritual gift, as we wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 1:7). God specifically equips us with the spiritual gifts necessary for a period of waiting. Waiting for the good things of God to be revealed involves having the faith that God’s goodness and grace is a reality for our lives. 

2. A Longing for God

While all this may explain the occurrence of waiting in the life of faith, this doesn’t explain why we often wait. Why is that God calls us to wait, particularly for the promises of God? If God desires good things for our lives, why do we have to wait for their bestowal?

The answer to this question is relatively simple. Although “every good and perfect gift comes from the Father of lights (James 1:7) we are never to desire the gifts of God in and of themselves. To put it another way, our desire for the gifts should never overtake our desire for the giver. Periods of waiting help us articulate our need for God. The desire for a relationship with God ought to far exceed the gifts and promises bestowed in our lives.

Because we are imperfect people, our self-focused desires can easily become a hinderance to our relationship with God. Israel, for example, wrestled constantly with this reality. This was one of the reasons why the Exodus journey was so prolonged. Deuteronomy 8:10-11 exhorts: “When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you. Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God.” The temptation was that Israel focused too much on the goodness of the Promised Land, and all the gifts that it bestowed. In doing so, the presence of God would inevitably be forgotten. The 40 years spent awaiting the Promised Land, therefore, provided Israel the time to recognize their dependance upon God.

Desiring anything more than the Lord, even if it involves God’s goods promises, is the definition of idolatry. Our utmost desire is to be for the presence of God. “For God alone my soul, in silence, waits, my hope comes from him” says Psalm 63:1. In waiting, we tune our hearts to the worship of God alone. If our hearts become embittered or angry because God has not bestowed what we want, when we want, then this highlights a lack of loving devotion to God. Waiting is a time where God invites us to strip ourselves of all selfishness and self-focused desires, so that we might seek first God’s kingdom and righteousness (Matthew 6:33). In other words, in waiting, we fully adopt the prayer of “thy kingdom come, and thy will be done” (Matthew 6:10). 

3. A Time to Testify

It may sound counterintuitive, but waiting provides an opportunity for us to testify to the goodness of God. Waiting can be a positive experience as we witness God’s healing and liberating power in our lives. It is through the periods of waiting that we experience God do “infinitely more than we can ask or imagine” (Ephesians 3:20). Such experiences, then, become part of our story of faith.

For example, if our prayers were always answered instantaneously, this would eventually work against our devotion to God. We may be tempted to say that it is by our own power and strength that such goodness had been procured (Deuteronomy 8:17). Waiting, therefore, doesn’t deny that God answers prayers, yet it does mean we must recognize that God’s answers occur in the context of God’s perfect time and will.

King David writes in Psalm 40:1 “I waited, I waited for the Lord, he stooped down and heard my cry.” David’s witness to the power of God in his life is only enhanced by his season of waiting. It is because David waited for God to answer his prayers that he could thereby testify that God did answer his cry. In fact, David goes on to say how he would not “conceal your love and your faithfulness from the great assembly” (vs 10). David’s experience of waiting and response is held out to the great congregation; it serves to inspire the faith of others.

In a similar way, our story of waiting is part of our witness. Waiting is a place of ministry, a place of bold witness. Our witness is an encouragement for others who may be going through their own time of waiting. Being able to articulate how the presence of God can be met and experienced in the times of waiting may help another grow in their faith. For these reasons, times of waiting should not be discounted, but entered into with faith and hope.

Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Bartek Szewczyk

The Reverend Dr. Kyle Norman is the Rector of St. Paul’s Cathedral, located in Kamloops BC, Canada.  He holds a doctorate in Spiritual formation and is a sought-after writer, speaker, and retreat leader. His writing can be found at Christianity.com, crosswalk.com, ibelieve.com, Renovare Canada, and many others.  He also maintains his own blog revkylenorman.ca.  He has 20 years of pastoral experience, and his ministry focuses on helping people overcome times of spiritual discouragement.