God Never Wastes Our Waiting

Ruth

We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name.

—Psalm 33:20–21

We wait in __________.” I suppose there are a lot of ways to fill in the blank. We often wait in fear. We wait in anger. We wait in frustration or doubt. The bottom line is that most of us don’t like to wait!

The Bible has a lot to say about waiting. Some of the great heroes of the faith were men and women who waited. Consider Abraham, Joseph, and David, just to name a few. And how about Sarah, Hannah, or Esther? They all waited. But how they waited made the difference.

What are you waiting on right now? Maybe you are waiting on a new job. A different job. You are waiting for a friend, coworker, or even spouse to change. You might be waiting on a pregnancy, a doctor’s results, or a son or daughter to return to his or her faith. No matter the circumstances, we all face the same temptation in our waiting.

The temptation is often to get ahead of God. Rush His plan. Fast-forward His timing. We are tempted to be our own god, taking matters into our own hands.

But God never wastes our waiting. He does great work in the midst of our waiting. He teaches us humility, dependence on Him, and patience. God refines us, purifying our selfish and sinful desires. Reminds us we serve Him and that His will really is good, pleasing, and perfect (Romans 12:2).

So if you are waiting, pay attention to how you wait. Remember that it is God you are waiting on. In Psalm 33:20, the psalmist told us that he waited “in hope for the LORD.” Why? Because the Lord alone is “our help and our shield.” His love is unfailing. His timing is perfect. And His waiting always comes with a promise—He will deliver. It might be different from what we expected or even wanted. But the Lord blesses those who wait on Him.

Father, You alone are my help and my shield. I will wait on You. Give me strength to walk humbly and trust deeply. I know my waiting is never wasted by You. So continue the work You are doing in me, and draw me closer and deeper as I put my hope in You. In Jesus’ name, amen.

When have you gotten ahead of God’s timing or plan?

How have you seen God bless your waiting?