Why Do I have To Wait...?
Ever feel like giving up? You thought you heard from God, thought you knew what you were supposed to do, thought you had gifts to accomplish something big and then…. crickets. Nothing is happening. In fact, circumstances seem to be going in the opposite direction you thought they would be going. Time moves on but you don’t. Yea…we have all found ourselves here at some point. Let’s be clear, this is less than a good time.
This brings with it confusion. Did I hear correctly? Can I even hear from God? Should I just keep going? Or wait? It feels terribly uncomfortable to be here. No one likes to wait. We like progress. But God is in the business of developing us, changing us and seeing to it that we are ready for the next thing. Maya Angelou once said, "You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it."
There are lessons in the failures that we need. Henry Ford stated, “Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently."
God isn’t really concerned with our discomfort at this point. Not that he doesn’t love and care for us but as any good parent knows, growth requires a few skinned knees disappointments, and some trial and error. Good things come to those who wait…isn’t that how the old saying goes? Ugh…
In the long wait from beginning to completion of any worthwhile endeavor, there is this awkward waiting period where God seems awfully quiet, and results seem to be eluding us. Trust me when I say, I hate this in-between. This process to us feels unnecessary at best. But we do not see things the way God does. He knows where we are going isn’t ready for us yet, and even though we disagree, we aren’t ready either.
In this excruciating season, God pokes the giant. What comes out of us in the wait is usually what he’s trying to get at and change. #ouch He knows we are impatient so we must wait. He asks us to jump up on our Cross and die to our impatience. We may try to do it ourselves which always gets us into a mess, as any three-year-old can tell you they think they can “do it myself” even though as parents we know they cannot.
So many people have had grand ideas they wanted to invent, or ingenuity waiting to emerge from their imaginations. Henry Ford had the Ford automobile in his mind. He started the Detroit Automobile Company which then went bankrupt in 1899. But he learned many things from that experience and went on to form the Ford Company and we all know how successful that was. #keepgoing
At age 22 Walt Disney was fired from a newspaper for having no imagination…let that sink in. He then started his first animation studio, which then went bankrupt. All the while he was learning and changing. His final attempt to birth his dream happened at the right time resulting in a franchise that has touched the world.
Albert Einstein at 16, failed his entrance exam into the Swiss Federal Polytechnic school. He almost dropped out of school altogether. Thank God he kept going. In these times it’s so easy to want to give up, to just abandon our dreams or promises. It seems too hard to be in limbo, waiting.
Thomas Edison said, "Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up." He would know. He made over 10,000 attempts before finally demonstrating the world’s first working light bulb.
This concept is so powerful. I don’t know what you’re waiting for; what God has promised you, or what dream lies dormant in your heart. But what I do know is that God is faithful. His promises are yes and amen. He cannot lie. His word will not return void. It will accomplish what he sent it to do. Isaiah 55:11.
Take a deep breath and exhale all of the anxiety, the frustration and the fear. Open God’s word and meditate on His promises. Let His word speak new hope into your weary heart. Remember what He spoke to you and trust that He is working it all out for your good in the way He knows is best.