I remember the day so vividly. I had picked up my then 3 year old daughter from daycare and we were headed to a birthday party for one of her church friends. I didn’t know this family well and realized as I buckled her in the car seat that if we didn’t hurry we would be late. I HATE being late and so I rushed to get in the car quickly and zoomed out of the parking lot. Of course it was around 5pm and traffic was super heavy. I got stopped at every single light and was fussing and fuming out loud because I knew that we were going to be late to the party and I was so stinking frustrated. There was a pickup truck in front of me filled with junk in the bed of the truck. There was a HUGE, heaping mound of things- tools, ice chests, trash, furniture including a large round table upside down on the top of the pile. Seriously, you name it, it was in the back of that truck not tied down. As we approached a light that was turning yellow, the truck started slowing down and I yelled ”NOOOOOOO don’t stop!” but of course, he did. Steam coming from my ears, we sat through yet another red light. The truck turned right on red (which is legal here in Texas) and started to get on the on ramp of the highway- which is also what I was planning to do. I watched from my spot at the red light as he increased his speed and as he did, that huge pile of junk started to move and that giant, heavy round table, flew out of the back of the truck, into the air and landed smack dab in the middle of the road. Exactly where my car would have been IF I hadn’t had to wait at the light. The waiting was actually a blessing- a HUGE blessing. The waiting had kept us from what no doubt would have been a terrible accident as that table would have hit my windshield. The waiting that I so hated and actually griped about out loud, was actually God's protection. And as I wait now in my life, I always think of this story because it reminds me that waiting isn’t always bad.
One of my favorite verses about waiting is Isaiah 30: 18 which says…
Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him! NIV
But God’s not finished. He’s waiting around to be gracious to you. He’s gathering strength to show mercy to you. God takes the time to do everything right—everything. Those who wait around for him are the lucky ones. The Message
What a change in perspective that verse gives me! The Lord waits not to punish me but because He desires to be gracious to us. How sweet is that? When we are anxious and wish He would just hurry the heck up, He always has a purpose and a reason behind the waiting. He is ALWAYS looking out for us and wants the absolute BEST for each of us. Sometimes waiting is God’s way of protecting us. Sometimes waiting is because it’s not the right time for God to answer our prayer. Sometimes it’s because something better is ahead. And I think often times it’s because God is using the waiting to change us- to draw us to Him so that we cling and grow closer to Him. It’s difficult in those times to not want immediate answers but if we remember that God is there with us in the waiting- shielding us, protecting us, loving us- that frustration can turn to joy when we trust in His goodness by remembering His faithfulness in situations and seasons past. Waiting is God’s opportunity to express His love and His great care for you. In the waiting, God is good and He IS present. Friend, God is working in your waiting.
My prayer today is that you are reminded that God's timing that is perfect- every single time. He has it all under control. That you are able to have hope and to wait expectantly for Him to answer in His time. I pray that you are able to be still, to have courage, and to trust in Him.
