Finding Hope in the Waiting

Recently, I fell down a deep hole of disappointment.  I had been waiting and praying for a very long time for God to move in significant ways, and it didn’t seem like He was listening.  Yet, I am sure these things that I long for echo His heart.  I believe these prayers line up with what is important to Him.  I just want to see a sign that He hears me.  So, I waited, and I prayed - for years.  And then, I became discouraged.  I felt let down and so weary of waiting.

Truly, hanging on in faith, believing for something before you can actually see it is so very hard to do.  If I think a thing, want a thing, believe a thing, I kind of expect it to be just around the corner.  Especially, if I am convinced it is something God wants, too, then I’m certain it will happen in the near future.  But so often our timing is not His timing, and the wait is the hardest part!

Turning to God in the midst of my disillusionment, I found I needed to humble myself before Him and submit to His timeline.  I had to admit - once again! - that He has a much better idea of when - and how - things should happen than I do.  And honestly, this was hard to do.  My heart was very much invested in my desire to see God move.  

But I had to remember that God is not a microwave!  We can’t just pop our prayers in, wait 30 seconds, and expect an answer!  In truth, God is much more like a slow cooker.  Of course, He can move swiftly to work something out in a moment.  And He will in the right circumstances, but He doesn’t often do things that way.  

Just think about some of the stories we know from scripture.  Abraham and Sarah were promised a child in their old age, and then had to wait another 25 years.  Joseph had prophetic dreams about his leadership and God’s favor on his life which took 13 years to fulfill, including some dark valleys of slavery and imprisonment.  Moses hung out in the desert of all places for 40 long years before God used him to bring his people out of Egypt.  David, who was anointed by Samuel as king when he was still shepherding his father’s sheep, didn’t take the throne for another 15 years.  And the people of Israel waited for centuries for God’s promised Messiah!!

These heroes of the faith put in their time waiting on God, and in the end, He came through for them in wonderful ways.  I recently saw a quote online about these examples that said, “If God is making you wait, you are in good company.”  That’s true, and I’m sure they would tell us it was worth it.

All this waiting reminds me of a passage in the book of Jeremiah.  The people of Israel are in exile in Babylon.  They feel very far away from God and are longing for Him to show up to rescue them.  Right in the middle of this book, is one of our favorite Bible promises that we love to quote to one another:  Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”   Wonderful!  This is just the kind of word we all want to receive from God, and it beautifully represents His heart of love and favor toward us. I’m sure this was exactly what the Israelite exiles hoped He would say!

But when we just focus on this one verse, we miss the context.  Obviously, verse 11 follows verse 10 which reads, “When 70 years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place.” Wait! What?! Before, all the good stuff that was promised, they were told they had to wait 70 years?!  

Yes, God had good plans for them.  Yes, He had good intentions to rescue them, but He wasn’t in a hurry.  Somehow, those 70 years must have been important to His overall plan - the plan He had to prosper them, to give them hope and a future. But imagine being told it was going to be 70 long years!  Maybe sometimes it's better not to know!

Like so many things in this faith life, this all comes down to the issue of trust - trusting God’s ways, trusting His plans, trusting His heart.  I found it helps to remind myself who God has been for me in the past.  When I remember His love for me and the ways that He has proven Himself on my behalf before, my heart softens and I am more willing to lean into Him in my current situation.  The best thing we can do when we become weary and disappointed in the waiting is to turn to God, rather than drawing away from Him.  We cannot let our impatience get in the way of our relationship with the One who loves us most and who knows best. 

For me, as much as it frustrates me sometimes, I decided that I don’t want a half-baked fulfillment of God’s promises because I grew impatient with the process and tried to rush things.  I am choosing to accept that anything that looks like a delay from my perspective is probably better understood as His perfect will reflected in His perfect timing which I know will produce His perfect work.  

May you find hope in the waiting, Dear One!

A Prayer

Dear Lord, sometimes I find it so very hard to keep on waiting — for You to show up, for You to help me, for You to come through for me, for You …. Yet, I do believe that You are good and that You love me. Help me to wait - and to find hope in You as I do. Help me to hold onto my faith, knowing that in Your perfect timing, all will be well.

In Jesus’ Name, Amen.