Waiting on God’s timing
Impatience is one of the hallmarks of life today. The pace of life seems to be constantly accelerating. Our schedules are over-loaded – more to do than ever before in spite of all the electronic gadgets that are supposed to make life easier, from iPhones to the Internet. Instead they only make our lives busier and force us to take on more and more.
A phone call, an unexpected visitor or a sick child who cannot go to school, and suddenly your plans for the day explode! Waiting seems to be such a waste of time – whether it is for a doctor’s appointment, waiting to get the dog groomed, or waiting to get to your destination when traffic is jammed, or – yes, even waiting for God to do something.
A friend of Guidelines put it, “I’m such a poor waiter. I never seem to learn my lesson so I have to take the test over and over again.” Having worked with families for decades, I’m convinced that haste is the parent of 9/10ths of our mistakes. We jump the gun and get ahead of God, insisting on our way instead of waiting for God’s purpose to come into clear focus. We try to convince ourselves that we are doing the right thing but end up doing the wrong thing because we have sidestepped the counsel of Scripture. We marry the wonderful guy who couldn’t care less about the Christian faith because we’re afraid we may end up single; or we sign on to a business deal that looks lucrative but demands shortcutting integrity.
I confess I’m not very good at waiting, but I’ve been rebuffed enough times that I’ve learned waiting can save you from some of the most devastating hardships life can afford. When you wait on God, you are investing in heaven’s stock. It’s well worth doing.
Used with permission from Guidelines International Ministries. To learn more about Guidelines and the ministry, send an e-mail to info@guidelines.org. You may also visit www.guidelines.org.