Waiting is such a pivotal aspect of the Christian walk. We see examples in Scripture of those before us who had to face waiting, including Abraham and Sarah waiting for a child (also Elizabeth, Hannah, and Rachel), David waiting to become king, Elijah waiting for rain, and Job waiting for the end of his suffering. No matter where we are in life, there is always something we are waiting for. Sometimes, we might be waiting for something on a larger scale, such as a spouse or child, and other times, we might be waiting for something on a smaller scale, such as to see a loved one or to move somewhere else. Whatever it is, we constantly face the feeling of anticipation.
Why is waiting so prevalent in our lives? Well, I've found that every time I've had to wait, it has reminded me that we solely depend on God and no one else, including ourselves. Elisabeth Elliot wrote: "He makes us wait. He keeps us on purpose in the dark. He makes us walk when we want to run, sit still when we want to walk, for He has things to do in our souls that we are not interested in."
James 5:7-9 discusses how we need to turn to God while we wait. James uses the example of the farmer waiting for his harvest. The farmer patiently waits as God does the work. Similarly, we don’t have control but can only do our part in planting our seed through surrender. Daily Grace Co. explains this concept more deeply: “He (the farmer) has no control over the timing and fruitfulness of his crop. He plants, and then he waits. This is a clear picture of our lives. We are completely dependent on the Lord to bring harvest.”
Further, James 5:7 contends how God puts us in the exact circumstances we need to be in to prepare us for what He has in store our lives and to sanctify us. Yes, you are exactly where you need to be, even if you don’t particularly enjoy it. James uses the metaphor of rain to explain this concept. We know that in order for a seed to grow, it needs both water and sunshine. Daily Grace Co explains the context of James 5:7: “This concept was prevalent in the Old Testament and one that his audience would have been familiar with. In Palestine, the early rains come in October preparing the seed and the soil for harvest. The late rains come in early Spring and saturate the seed to bring a bountiful harvest. God is in charge of it all. From beginning to end, the process is governed by His sovereign hand. Throughout the Old Testament, there are references to these early and late rains, and every one of them points to the faithful God who will accomplish what He has purposed (Deut. 11:14-15, Jer. 5:24, Hosea 6:3, Joel 2:23, Zech. 10:1).”
Because only God knows what will happen and is in full control, we can turn to Him to guide and strengthen us during these times (Isaiah 40:31). Paul dealt with this in 2 Corinthians 1:9. Paul went through horrible extremity for the purpose of learning not to rely on himself but on God. The Lord literally took Paul to a point where he could not turn to any human resource. 2 Corinthians 1:10 (KJV) says: “Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us.” Matthew Henry's commentary on this verse says: "Past experiences are great encouragements to faith and hope, and they lay great obligations to trust in God for time to come. We reproach our experiences if we distrust God in future straits, who hath delivered as in former troubles." We know God is reliable from studying His Word and from seeing the evidence of His work in our own lives.
In 1 Samuel 1, Hannah faced waiting with the attitude of only depending on God. Hannah, who was childless and longed to have a baby, knew the only place she could turn to was to God. She turned to God and trusted in Him alone. John MacArthur points out that Hannah understood that what she was waiting for, a child, was something that God was directly in control of. Even when Hannah explains to Eli that she was praying, she doesn’t say what she was praying for because she knew that only God could answer her prayer, which was why she was praying silently in the first place. Hannah exhibited one of my favorite Elisabeth Elliot quotes: "Waiting on God requires the willingness to bear uncertainty, to carry within oneself the unanswered question, lifting the heart to God about it whenever it intrudes upon one's thoughts."
When we pray, we need to trust that our sovereign God will handle things according to His will. We need to have faith that He is intentional and in control, which means we can relinquish any control that we think we do have. When we start to doubt God, we will start to drown in the waves. James 1:6-8 discusses that the one who doubts God can answer his prayer is like a man drowning and being tossed about in waves. This is the “double-minded” man who is unable to settle because he’s not holding onto a firm foundation. When we pray, we need to have faith that it’s being handled according to the way God deems best. Our faith doesn’t change whether our prayers will be answered, but they will change our hearts in our circumstances.
The micromanaging of the little details can eat away at us and lead to anxiety. 1 Peter 5:6 tells us to cast off anxiety, which means that when we are feeling discontent, discouraged, or doubtful, we need to throw it to God and leave it with Him to handle. Is it productive to wallow in our emotions and to try to do things our way or to leave our hopes with God? We are mere fools if we think we can handle our lives better than God can for us. Anytime we try to interfere and take the reins, it always ends up a mess. I suggest reading the example of Sarah's interference in Genesis 16. Nevertheless, thankfully, as Scripture shows through the narrative about Sarah and Abraham, even though and when we sin, we cannot mess up the plans and promises of God.
Going back to the gardening analogy, if our lives are like seeds, we are not the gardener, God is. I pondered this metaphor while watching the orchid my boyfriend gifted me for my office grow. When I first received this plant, there were two buds that had the potential to bloom. Every day, I would watch and wait to see what would happen. One morning, I unexpectedly walked in to see one of the buds had bloomed. This wasn't something that happened immediately. Then, about a week or two later, the other bud bloomed. You see, not everything happens or blooms all at once. Things take time, and that is a principle we can often forget in our instant gratification society. When things don't happen in our way or timing, the fleshly response we can be apt to take is to want to give up or to deem it impossible. We get angry, frustrated, and exhausted from trying to kick down and open doors that only God can unlock if He decides to do so in His perfect timing.
It’s easy to get caught up in what we see, especially when you’re waiting for something that feels so close yet out-of-reach. However, faith isn’t based on what we see. 2 Corinthians 5:7 tells us that we are to walk by faith, not by sight. Our faith is rooted in God's attributes and in His Word. Faith doesn’t answer the questions of how or what will happen or when or even if it will, but rather points us to be still and to trust that God has it all figured out. We don’t need to.
Further, just because it may not appear that progress is occurring, it doesn't mean that God isn't working. God is the one who nurtures the "seed" of our lives until it grows into something beautiful and glorifies Him. This process of sanctification is a lifelong process. We may have dry seasons, but that flower is still growing and progressing. It isn’t until it blooms in God’s timing that we see that there was growth all along. The process may look different than you thought; however, God gives you what you need, when He deems, and according to what will glorify Him. God intentionally works and personally nurtures our lives, like the gardener takes the care to foster and nourish his flowers. It may not seem so at the time, but even in what we deem "delays," God is working.
When my orchid died, I was pretty sad, but I also took one last lesson from it. I couldn't understand why my orchid had died, for I had followed the instructions on how to care for it. To my surprise, it had lasted three months, so I must have done something right. What could have gone wrong? That's when I realized that in life, we can try our hardest to make things happen or to hold onto things, we may even be taking all the right steps, but God is the one who ordains all, and He has a season for everything. God is purposeful in every season, and no time is ever wasted. Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 (KJV) says: "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace."
A season of waiting, as painful as it may be, never truly ends. As I mentioned, there's always something to wait for. Many--I for one have felt this way--feel as though waiting is time wasted and filled with months or even years of nothingness. It can be if we endure it with the wrong attitude. Waiting can feel like a punishment at times, but waiting does not mean you lack faith or that God is mad at you. Instead, let us turn our attention to the Truth, to the Lord, and to what He calls us to do. Once we realize that surrender is the best choice to do in a season of waiting, then we can focus on being present in what the Lord has before us. As Elisabeth Elliot once said: "To take on the burdens of tomorrow is to sap the strength needed to carry out the work assigned for today."
"Wait on the LORD: Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD." Psalm 27:14 (KJV)
By: Bible and Hot Cocoa (IG: @bibleandhotcocoa)
Juliana is the founder of Bible and Hot Cocoa. She is a sinner redeemed by Christ seeking to share the Gospel, to stand up for biblical truth, and to encourage other women to embrace biblical womanhood and to grow in biblical literacy. In her free time, she loves to utilize her creativity, to read classics and reformed theology books, to exercise, to visit her local coffee shop, and to spend time with loved ones. Juliana's favorite book of the Bible would have to be a tie between Psalms and Proverbs (as of now), and her favorite biblical figure besides Jesus is Sarah (as of now).
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