What Happens While We Wait?

We know why we must wait. But, now let’s take that a step further and explore what happens while we wait.

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Here are a few things that happen when we wait well:

We learn to trust no longer in ourselves, but in Christ.

We give over control. We stop trying to do it all. There are just some things we have to give over to God and let Him handle. Waiting does this. During the waiting, we may come to a point where we just cannot handle the weight of the circumstance anymore. When this happens, let go. Hand it over to the One who cares for  you.

This one is a little hard for me…I kinda like to know that I am in control.

Here’s the truth, though. I am not the one who is Sovereignly ruling this world, that’s Christ. When I wait, I realize that I cannot and do not have control over all things. There is One who does have control. The Creator and Ruler of the universe is in control. I can trust Him.I don’t have to worry anymore, I can cast my anxieties onto Him and trust Him for the result.

I love this quote from Corrie Ten Boom, it sums this point up well, “Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.”

We grow in our faith.

As we learn to trust in Christ more, we grow closer to Him. There is just something about knowing that Some One loves you enough to care for the details of your life that draws you closer to Him. He is that Some One. He loves you. He cares for you. Draw close to Him. Cling to Him. Wait on Him. Remember His past faithfulness and hold to the truth that He is working all things together for your good!

Abide in Him daily in this waiting. Many of you have commented about the importance of abiding in Christ during these seasons of waiting. This is so important! This is what will allowing you to grow during this season. We cannot do anything apart from Christ!

We exercise patience.

Patience, one of the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians5:22-23), and mentioned many other times in the new testament as a godly characteristic. Do you practice patience well? Hmmm…me niether!

This waiting can help us to practice learning this godly skill. Now, this isn’t the kind of patience that is tapping your toes and chewing on your fingernails and sweating it out…This kind of patience is waiting with joy. Obviously this kind of patience doesn’t come natural to us.

In this waiting, we have a great opportunity to work on exercising our patience and learning to live this skill out daily in our lives.

We develop endurance.

We are running a race. To finish the race we must have endurance. We cannot finish without this important skill!

When we are waiting, when we are experiencing trials of many kinds, we are developing endurance. We are strengthening our spirit to endure til the end.

Let’s run this race! “Lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us” (Hebrews 12:1 ESV).

Read this hope for today:

Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
his understanding is unsearchable.
He gives power to the faint,
and to him who has no might he increases strength.
Even youths shall faint and be weary,
and young men shall fall exhausted;
but they who wait for 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 40:28-31 ESV)

Question for You:

What other benefits come from waiting well?

This post is part of my 31 Days of Waiting series. Read all the posts in the series here.