Does God Have You Waiting…and For What??

You signed up for the job/volunteer position/mission trip/whatever because you thought you heard God clearly.

Now, you’re not so sure.

You’re not sure because it’s gotten hard…or boring…or it seems nothing is happening…or you feel useless…or powerless…or what you thought God would have you do isn’t at all what you’re being asked to do now. 

Maybe, just maybe, God has you in a place of waiting to develop character… patience…trust in Him.  Maybe your “significant work” is really learning to submit to others in charge and be less “important.”  Maybe it’s to put you in a place of learning instead of always being in charge.  Maybe it’s not about you after all, really.  Maybe it’s about God and what He’s already doing in that place/context.

Might be a good time to read about Abraham and Sarah waiting (and not always waiting with their eyes on God and His providence—in fact, getting ahead of Him—with far-reaching consequences) for the Lord to provide.

Might be a good time to read the story of Joseph—being sold into slavery by his own family, being falsely accused, and then languishing in prison.  Read all the way through the story to God’s redemption of that situation and His grace and His mercy and His restoration of Joseph to his family…and the work that takes place in Joseph’s heart as he waited--and apparently learned about God, about himself, about faithfulness and integrity amidst hardship, and, most importantly, about forgiveness.

Might be a good time to read the story of Daniel and his friends—taken into captivity by a powerful enemy, forced to learn and live differently in a very unfamiliar land, and eventually having to wait the entire 70 years there in exile until the Lord returned a remnant of His people to their homeland—NOT including Daniel, who manages to remain faithful to His God throughout the adversity and the waiting…and finds things to do through his daily practice of listening to and trusting His God.

Or, think about Mary who has to wait nine months and probably endure rejection and mockery—likely having to remain out of sight, maybe with little else to do--until she gives birth to the Lord’s Messiah, Jesus.  Or the disciples who, after Jesus departs (following His resurrection) spend the rest of their earthly lives waiting for His return—so expectant that He will come any day that it impacts how they live and how they write (see the New Testament epistles from Peter, Paul, James, John).

Waiting means living in tension.  It doesn’t mean doing nothing, but, for American Christians who are apt to err to the side of doing over being, being busy and “productive” over spending time in prayer and reflection, could this waiting period be giving you time to develop better conversation with God—which would include listening? Could this interval be used to reflect on who God wants you to be?  Could your waiting time be a gift—an opportunity to saturate yourself in Scripture, to memorize God’s Words, to study, to soak yourself in learning about God and His character?  Could it simply be time for you to sit and pray for each person around you?  Instead of feeling idle, try praying for your team, your co-workers.  Don’t know what to pray?  Pray their names through Psalm 139.  Pray their names through Psalm 23.  Pray portions of Ephesians 3 or Colossians 3 over them. 

And wait.  See what God does.

Remember too, that you have been blessed to be a blessing to others.  Ask God how He wants you to bless those around you today.  God will honor that prayer with specific answers.  Be on the lookout for those opportunities to bless.

And wait.  See what God will do. 

You may see that now…or much much later.

And know that God--The Father Almighty, Jesus His Son, and the Holy Spirit--is always at work.  Always doing something.  Even with time that just feels like waiting.

Shirley Giles Davis, author of the God. Gifts. You. Your Unique Calling and Design workbook, Your Unique Design Class Guide, Your Unique Design Facilitator Guide, and Gifts-Calling-Purpose blog, is a consultant, coach, facilitator who has worked with faith-based organizations, nonprofit agencies, and leaders in a diversity of fields for over 30 years. She has also been EquipConnectServe Director at her 1,200 member church since 1999.

Photo © Shirley Giles Davis, all rights reserved.