Waiting is so hard!  Yet that seems to be our lot in so much of life.  Whether is it waiting for the birth of a baby, waiting for a job offer or in the waiting room of a doctor’s office, waiting is part of our everyday life.

I don’t like to wait.  Sometimes it seems like a waste of time.  So I do what I can to prepare.  I carry my latest book or my knitting to the doctor’s office.  After all, I’ve been taught to redeem the time and if I’m prepared to wait I’m a bit more patient.

But the hardest things to wait for are not compensated for with my knitting.  The stakes are more significant than if my doctor is on time.

In 1969, while we were in college, God spoke to my then boyfriend and now husband through Psalm 33:20-22 as we waited on Him for His will concerning our friendship.  The principles on waiting in those few verses have been good guidelines for us in many of the circumstances of our life since.

“Our soul waits for the Lord; He is our help and our shield.
For our heart is glad in Him because we trust in His holy name.
Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us even as we hope in you.”

In 1969, we were seeking God and His will for our relationship.  After we heard those encouraging words, we waited 3 more long years before marrying.  Those years were the warm-up for preparing us for many more opportunities to wait.  What we learned from that scripture are timeless lessons as we do wait.

1. I am not waiting for a circumstance.  I am waiting on the God who is sovereign and who has His glory and my good at the center of His will.  So my prayer life reflects this.  As I was praying with a friend recently about a difficult situation, we agreed to pray in a certain direction because that was all we understood.  But we also acknowledged that we didn’t know God’s will.
2. In the midst of the waiting God is our helper.  He is the one who moves the process along and gives perspective as I go.  So my prayers include thankfulness or His work.
3. God is also my protector.  I may never know all the ways He has used His shield in my defense.  This leads to humility in my prayers and a trust in the God who protects.
4. I can be glad in the process, not because of the waiting part, but because I am trusting in our Holy God not in circumstances.  I am so challenged by our sons and their wives and their gladness in the midst of their waiting on God in their careers.
5. Allowing myself to be continually aware of God’s love for me is a key component to my ability to wait.  I review that each day.
6. My hope is centered in God, not the circumstances.  Waiting is active; waiting is trusting; waiting is walking with God.  The Psalmists thoughts end where they started.

“For the Word of God is living and active, …”
Hebrews 4:12a