When God Doesn't Use "Same-Day Shipping"
I am terrible at waiting. In a world with Amazon same-day delivery, instant pots, and Instagram, I want everything instantly. I want God’s promises to come quickly.
I know I am not alone in this. This is the the culture we live in. We seek and we want to find right away. We want instant gratification.
We want answers to our problems, so we search google. We want to lose weight or be healthier, so we buy a gym membership and create a healthy meal plan. We try to take control and find solutions to our problems. Don’t get me wrong, these can be actions God calls us to take, but He ultimately calls us to trust Him completely with the results, His timing, and His plans.
God views life much differently than we do. You could say he flips our human tendency upside down. God wants to instill patience and peace into our hearts. A longing for His ways and His will. He wants us to desire Him above all else. He wants us to spend time with Him, to walk with Him, and to learn from Him.
This is not easy and I think it is why I try to control things so much. Taking matters into my own hands seems easier, more predictable. But actually, this is a lie. God is in control no matter how much I try to control the outcome. He is the author of my life and knows best. He can do far more than we ever could ask, or imagine. He wants His will to be done. He wants us to surrender. He wants to give us His gift of peace - the kind of peace that online shopping or social media cannot give us.
So, what is it that you are waiting for? What is it that you are trying to control the outcome of? For me, it’s physical healing and raising my son to love Jesus. Two things that are not mine to control. There are absolutely things I can take action on, but God is in complete control of the outcome and timing. The past 4 months, I have had my share of impatient moments. Failing to trust God and doubting His plans for me, asking, “why?” far too often, and being afraid and fearful of the future. Gently, God continues to remind me: The only thing I can control is how I respond and that He is where my hope comes from.
Today, I read Psalm 27:1: “the Lord is my light and my salvation, so why should I be afraid?” and then the Psalm ends in verse 14: “Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.”
How do we wait patiently on the Lord? How do we be brave and courageous?
By understanding that He is our light and salvation and He can be trusted. He is where our eternal home is. He is the light that will guide us on earth and to our heavenly home. We can wait patiently with joy as we surrender our daily lives to Him. We can wait patiently and be brave as we fuel our bold sides with Jesus - spending time in His Word, in prayer, and obediently following His will for our lives by the power of the Holy Spirit.
I love how Psalm 27 spoke to my weary heart this morning. I hope these verses encourage you as you wait on the Lord.
A few things I have been learning (and will continue to learn):
- God’s timing is perfect: Even though we would like things instantly, God is not an instant God. We see time and time again examples of how God would give a promise and years later, would fulfill it. The Israelites who wandered in the wilderness for 40 years, David who waited centuries before becoming King, AND Jesus, who waited for God’s perfect timing to endure the suffering on the cross for our sins and to give us eternal life! God uses time to display His Glory, Love, and Plans!
- Intimacy, trust, and our faith grows in the seasons of waiting: There is song that says: “He’s in the waiting.” I never really understood this line until recently. Jesus is with us in the waiting and we can thrive in these seasons. Why? Because our reliance on Him creates a deep relationship with Jesus. We grow more, we lean into Him more, and He teaches us to trust Him. He truly walks with us through it all. We share in His suffering and He knows what we are going through. He became flesh and experienced the ultimate pain and sacrifice - the whole world on His shoulders. Now that’s a heavy burden! When we wait patiently and lean into Jesus, we gain the gift of peace that only He can give. A peace the world cannot give. See John 14:27
- God teaches us in the waiting and works everything out for good of those who love Him (see Romans 8:28): The seasons of waiting are the times when God not only creates a deep sense of peace in us, but He instills His heart of empathy into us. A heart of patience. A heart more like His. And actually, we see more of God. We see His ways and His love for us. He doesn’t withhold from us, he is holding us.
So, friend, I know waiting isn’t easy. I am struggling with this right now. I am wrestling with God on why things are taking so long. Why His promises feel so far away and the pain so deep, but He is with us. He is only a prayer away and is waiting for us to grab His hand, to talk with Him. All we need to say is: “Lord, I am coming.”
“My heart has heard you say, “Come and talk with me.” And my heart responds, “Lord, I am coming.” -Psalm 27:8
Lord, we are coming. Today, let’s respond with our whole hearts and sit at the foot of Jesus’ throne. Let’s go to the Prince of Peace. Cheering you on and praying for you, my friend!
He’s in the waiting. Hold on to His Hope, Peace, and Promises! He doesn’t withhold from us, He is holding us.
In Christ,
Jess
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