Winning the Waiting Game

I have played the waiting game since childhood. As a kid, I eagerly looked forward to summer. In adolescence, the countdown to obtain my driver’s license began. As a young adult, I couldn’t wait to get married and have children. After standing up in eight weddings before my own, I felt like an eternal bridesmaid.

Often, when our desires are delayed, such as when waiting for a job or the healing of a sick loved one, fear and anxiety kick in.

So how do we cope while waiting? Here are three truths to help you win at the waiting game.

God is at Work in the Wait

We’re often told, “Trust God for His timing.” But what does that phrase actually mean?

God has a greater-than-we-can-see-plan which involves us but doesn’t necessarily revolve around us. He is working out details that include His plan for us, but can also contain many intertwining variables, people, and circumstances.

Take Joseph for instance. Genesis 37 depicts the events of Joseph’s relocation to Egypt after being sold off by his jealous brothers. While there, Joseph waited in prison, accused of a crime he didn’t commit. Later, when the land experienced a drought of epic proportions, Joseph would not only forgive the envious relatives, but he would save their lives—and the lives of countless others—from starvation.

While waiting, remember God is at work in ways beyond your comprehension and will put you in the exact time and place you need to be. In other words, trust God for His timing. He’s not idly sitting by. In fact, He is unfolding His perfect plan as you wait.

God is With You in the Wait

There was a time when—like Joseph—God suddenly relocated my husband and me. You can read about that journey here. After the transition, I gazed around like displaced Dorothy of Oz and concluded, “Toto, I have a feeling we aren’t in Kansas anymore.” Angry and feeling lost, I was tempted to sit down and wait, like a pouting child. So I did. For a time. Then I realized I’d better get up and move. No, I didn’t follow the yellow brick road. Instead I picked up my Bible and began to read. Searching Scripture, I prayed for direction. In the newness and stillness, I listened. For a long time, only silence followed.

Oh, how those silent moments bring that first point home, stretching our trust!

But we don’t have to sit and trust.

We can also move and trust, try different paths and trust.

When Hannah of the Bible longed for a child, she didn’t stay home waiting for the desire of her heart. She journeyed to the temple to petition God again and again (See her story in 1 Samuel 1). Her active persistence demonstrated hope and dedication to drawing close to God.

You see, God is with you in your wait. He may not be speaking to you or specifically directing you, but He has not abandoned you. He sits in the quiet alongside you. Seek Him in prayer and Bible reading. Remember, He is working in the silence, not only in the unseen details, but also inside you, strengthening your patience, trust, and faith in Him.

God’s Assignment While You Wait

God may also have a task for you. The apostle Paul, eager to continue his visits to young Christian communities, often found himself imprisoned between trips. What did he do while confined? Today, we have several books in the New Testament written by Paul during such times.

Centuries later, a similar situation occurred involving a monk whose words and actions put his life at risk. With an assumed name and altered appearance, Martin Luther hid in the Wartburg castle. There he translated the Bible into German bringing Scripture to the common people and fueling the Reformation. The invention of the printing press around the same time is no coincidence. The perfect timing of this invention can only be attributed to our creative and omniscient God.

So, what are you waiting for? An unanswered prayer? A sought after dream? Healing? A new job? A child? Solomon, the wisest man to ever live (except for Jesus) put it this way: There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven (Ecclesiastes 3:1 NIV).

While you wait, trust God. Listen. Finally, ask for the assignment God might have for you.

There is no such thing as a waiting game. It’s not much fun when we’re biding our time.

Yet a fulfilling waiting life does exist: a trust-building, lesson-learning, mission-accomplishing abundant life can be found—in the wait.

Psalm 27:14 (ESV)

Wait for the Lord;
be strong, and let your heart take courage;
wait for the Lord!