4 Reasons We Should Wait On God’s Timing

Over the many years in my walk with God and from the many experiences I’ve had, I’ve learned that it is best to be on God’s timing, to follow His agenda and to wait on His divine orchestrated movements, as opposed to following after my own plan. I’ve also learned that failure to wait on God can have serious repercussions, and implications of a life time filled with deep remorse and regrets.

SOME GENERAL OBSERVATIONS OF IMPATIENCE

It hurts to say this, but as humans, we do not like to wait. We get frustrated when we have to. In our daily lives we display that frustration in many ways, for example, when we are in the long line at the supermarket checkout, when we are at the fast food restaurant, or when we find ourselves driving behind a slow car that is in the fast lane. We become agitated and irritated. Some honk their horns, while some use some not so pleasant words. Sounds familiar?

Waiting on God is another class by itself as waiting on Him is associated with patience, which includes a period of processing, testing, persecution and trials. And because bad behavior of impatience is transferred into our spiritual lives, we further compound matters. We move on things without having all of the details of His plans. In our own mind, we’ve already got it all figured out, and we want God to move in our time frame and to fit into our scheme of things.

TESTIMONIES…

Again sad, yet very true, through our impatience at times, many poor choices have been made simply because of the ‘I just could not wait any longer’ attitude and mind set. But God has a reason always for making us wait. The Bible has many examples of persons who had to wait on His timing – Daniel, Joseph, Paul, Jesus and many more.

• Moses as a young man in his haste to take matters into his hands, killed a man and then hid the body. When his sin became public, he ran for his life and exiled in the desert.
• We read how Mary and Martha’s impatience for Jesus to come and heal their brother Lazarus, led them to accusing Jesus of taking too long to come to their assistance.
• Abraham’s impatience led to infidelity and subsequently, he fathered a son with someone other than his wife Sarah.

In today’s world, it can be you’ve spent all your savings to establish a business or a career and soon after, only to find out that was not the right business venture or the right career path and those decisions made then have now been identified as the cause of some financial hardships.

It can be marrying someone only to find out six months later, that was the wrong guy or girl because your life turned into a living hell. I have lived through that experience. Thinking to myself I had found Mr. Right, I got into a relationship with someone some years ago, only to find out ten months later, I had made one of the worst mistakes of my life.

I must say however that waiting is a part of life and one of God’s instrument to build character, and to bring about spiritual growth and development. It is also directly linked to trust. Not trusting in your own strength, or in man’s, but placing all of your trust and hope in God. If faith is going to work, according to the word of God, it requires a whole deal of patience.

REASONS WE MUST WAIT ON GOD’s TIMING

[1]  Waiting brings exposure to any hidden motives – truth comes to light and it is at this time the best in persons can be magnified. It also has a way of bringing out the worst in people. You will soon realize those that are in it for the long haul or those who are just not committed to see something through and are only interested for the short term gains, success and the making of a name for themselves at your expense.

[2]  Waiting builds trust and our dependence upon God – Trust in someone and complete reliance on that person is not an overnight thing. It takes a while to build up. It is in our most difficult times and our waiting that we experience God’s best, His goodness and His faithfulness towards us. We see God sticking closer than a brother or sister – when our back is up against the wall, when the battle and storms of life are raging, when the valley is dark and lonely, the process is somehow easier and in the end we are able to enjoy the promise of God.

[3]  Waiting builds patience and maturity in our lives – In James 1:4 is a sober reminder of this where it says, “but let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” Patience is the virtue that we all need in our lives to help us to wait and perfect in the small things in life before having the patience to wait on God for the bigger things. If we are faithful and patient in the little things, God’s promise to us is that He will make us ruler over great and mighty things.

[4]  Waiting builds and transforms our character – Moses became a great leader in his time and God worked through him to bring about many miracles for the children of Israel. Of course he had to go through a long period of processing in the desert for 40 years before God came to him. So waiting has a way of humbling us and to rub off the rough edges of our lives so that the true Christlike character is revealed in us.

YOUR TURN…

So what would you add to this list? Have you ever had an experience where you made a decision and later wished you had waited? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

photo by: David Kracht