It seems like we’re always waiting.  Waiting in line.  Waiting for a table.  Waiting for an upcoming vacation.  And yes, waiting for God to work in our lives.

How many times have you read that God’s timing is perfect and never late?  How many times have you seen Him do something amazing, even though it looked like He wasn’t going to show up?  How did you feel as you waited?

Why is it so incredibly hard to wait and to trust?  If you’re like me, a Type A personality, you’re ready to move ahead.  You’re ready to take on the world.  Yup, you’ve even got a back up plan.  And then God…

It’s taken me more years than I can count to realize that all my plans, all my ideas, and all my own devices just don’t work at all if God isn’t in them.  It seems I’ve become an expert at spinning my wheels over the years.  I know God has a plan for my life and He will reveal it to me as soon as He thinks I’m ready.

So, in the meantime, I’m waiting.  God talks to me about being patient and being a blessing to others and eliminating things from my life like complaining, gossip, and tale bearing.  He talks about being an example to my family of how to live a true Christian life despite the ridicule.

God says to keep on doing right even though the right things aren’t happening to me.  He says to keep on thanking Him, keep on praising Him, and keep on loving Him, no matter how things look.

Does any of this sound familiar?  Can you relate?

When you really think about it, most of your life is going to be spent waiting.  When you get one answer to prayer, it won’t take very long until you find yourself waiting for God to move in another area of your life.  So how do you get really great at waiting?

There are some things you can do to get comfortable with God’s timing.

First, start telling God every single day that you know He’s in control and doing what He knows is best for you.  Ask Him for the strength to trust Him and give you peace as you wait.  Ask Him to help you get comfortable now knowing His plan right this minute.

Second, stop trying to make things happen on your own if you don’t see God moving right away.  It is so tempting to tell God on Monday that you’re waiting for Him to move, but by Friday you’re already manipulating the situation to try to make it turn out the way you want.  I hate to break this to you but it AIN’T GONNA WORK.

You just failed the test God just gave you.  He wants to know if you REALLY trust Him or is it all just lip service?  Funny thing about the tests God gives…you get to keep taking them until you pass.  So you better count on yet another situation where you need to wait for God to move.

Third, be determined to have a great attitude as you’re waiting.  I believe your attitude during this time determines how long the wait will be.  If your thoughts and words are nothing but negative, life sucking diatribes, you will find yourself still waiting weeks and months from now.  You might be surprised to learn that God really does expect His people to speak His words from their mouths.  What a concept…

Last, be thankful for everything in your life.  God loves a thankful heart.  Your time should be spent in thankfulness, praise and worship.  That doesn’t mean an incessant time of begging for what you want, but rather, it should be a time of reflection of who God is, NOT what He can do for you.  It means seeking His face, not His hand.
Waiting for God must become a part of your everyday life.  It means getting comfortable not knowing when God will move, but having faith that when He does it’s going to be far more amazing than you ever imagined.  The question is … can you wait or will you move first?

Copyright 2012 Karen Wolff