How many people like to wait? Not many that I know of. In fact, they can become very angry at being forced to wait in traffic or even in a checkout line at the store. God’s word tells us that waiting can be helpful.

“But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.” – Isaiah 40:31

We usually agree with this verse and even sing it with sincerity as a worship chorus. One Psalmist learned the virtue of waiting.

“My soul waits for the Lord More than those who watch for the morning— Yes, more than those who watch for the morning.” – Psalms 130:6

But do we wait? Will we wait for answers to prayer for about as long as we will wait for our children, wife, or husband to go when we are ready to go before authoritatively saying, “Hurry up! Let’s go!” After a few minutes of praying, or days or weeks or months, we try to solve our issues without God? Let’s be honest and admit that we do not like to wait on God to respond.

Cheryl and I went through a 10-year trial praying for answers. We prayed faithfully and even fasted often. For 10 years all either of us heard back from God was “Wait”. That waiting period was indescribably difficult. I still have to wait. God never does anything according to my timing. I may become desperate, it does not alter His timing.

There are professing Christians that refuse to consider waiting. They want it and want it now. They teach that true faith produces quick results. Not so. True faith can and will wait and for long periods if necessary, and yet remain free from doubt.

“But that’s not fair”, we may protest. Really? How long has God had to wait on me to respond to His will? Minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years, or maybe He is still waiting. Did He instruct me to witness to someone, but I still have not done so. What task did He give me to perform, but it interfered with my plans, went against my desires, or challenged me to grow, or cost me something I did not want to give up? So He is still waiting.

He’s waiting for us to pray as we ought, to spend quality time with Him, to shut everything and everyone else out and open our hearts to Him. He is waiting for us to respond to His word, either spoken by a preacher, teacher, or read in the Bible. He’s waiting for us to lay down those weights, the character flaws, the disobedience, and allow the Holy Spirit to change us more into the image of Christ. God is waiting for us to become more committed. He is waiting for us to reject the religious boundaries we have accepted because we want more of the world system while retaining just enough faith to keep from sinking into its pit.

While we are waiting on God and complaining about the response time, we fail to realize that He has been patiently waiting on us. He continues to wait, and wait, and wait…