God’s Waiting Room

Reflect on God’s Word

God often makes us wait, even when we’re praying fervently. Abraham and Sarah had to wait until they were in their nineties to have a child (Genesis 17). Joseph spent many years in prison before he became a leader, second-in-command under Pharaoh in Egypt (Genesis 40–41). Job waited through devastation for the Lord’s restoration (Job 42:10). Simeon waited most of his life to see the Messiah (Luke 2:25–35).

In Psalm 27:14, David encourages those of us who wait. He says, “Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.”

Why does God ask us to be strong and take heart while we wait for him? Perhaps it is because he tunes our hearts and strengthens our character in the waiting. When we rush in and try to take matters into our own hands, we can miss what God has for us in the waiting. When we are faithful and trust that God will work, we practice patience and grow strong.

The Amplified Bible enhances the meaning of “wait” to “confidently expect.” How does waiting differ from confidently expecting the Lord? Take a moment and think about what currently requires you to wait on God. Are you simply waiting, or are you confidently expecting him? Consider how changing your focus to expectation would feel.

“Confident expectation” can also be translated as “trust,” something we see in a story found in Mark 11:12–26. Jesus had just entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. He and his disciples spent that first night in Bethany. Early the next morning, as they were riding back into Jerusalem, they passed a fig tree. Jesus was hoping for something to eat, but he found the tree didn’t have any fruit on it, so he cursed it, saying, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” The very next morning when the disciples were walking by the same fig tree, it was now withered away to its roots. They were shocked.

Imagine the scene. You are next to Jesus with his disciples that second morning. Just like them, you are shocked to see that what Jesus said to the tree actually happened. No one would ever eat the fruit of that tree again. You hear Jesus say, “Have faith in God. . . . Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours” (Mark 11:22–24).

Do not doubt. Trust. Trust that God is good and is watching over you and caring for you. The most important prayer we can pray is that we would know God for who he is, no matter how he chooses to answer all our other requests. But some people want to believe that Jesus’ words mean that God will give us whatever we want. But we only have to look at Jesus to see that this isn’t true.

Not long after the incident with the fig tree, Jesus was praying in the garden of Gethsemane. Knowing that he was about to be arrested, wrongly convicted, and crucified, he told the disciples, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death” (Mark 14:34) and went off to pray alone. He prayed, “Abba, Father, . . . everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will” (Mark 14:36). Jesus was “deeply distressed and troubled” (v. 33), and yet he aligned his will with God’s will.

We need to do the same. How would wanting what God wants change your prayer life?

Not what I will but what you will. Not an easy prayer to pray, but when you know God is good, it’s a lot easier to let your will be aligned with his.

Release Your Anxiety

Are you waiting for something today? Maybe you’re experiencing acute anxiety over a situation that feels out of control, and you feel as if God isn’t doing anything about it. Jesus urges you to trust in God’s goodness.

Praying may sometimes feel as if you’re just talking to the ceiling. So take a few moments and remember those times when you heard from God. Hang on to those times. Remember that your feelings at the moment have little to do with the reality of God’s presence. He is always with you, and he always hears your prayers. But his answers aren’t always what you expect, or even what you want.

You may hear a clear yes, or you may hear a clear no, but sometimes God just asks you to wait and to listen and to open your heart to a transformation that Jesus wants to bring into your life.

So stop today and wait. He is here. Wait with a heart open to him.

God, you work all things for good because you are goodness itself. You do all things in your perfect timing, and you can use waiting to change me into a more patient and peaceful person. Right now, I give my anxiety over my circumstances to you. Take my anxiety, take my impatience. Instead, give me peace. Let me trust you with my whole heart, holding nothing back. Strengthen my heart and give me courage to wait with patience. Lift up my heart to live on your time and not mine. In Jesus’ name, amen.

JOURNAL PROMPT: How would you describe the difference between waiting, expecting, and believing? How does your focus change when you move from waiting to confidently expecting?