When Waiting Becomes Too Painful, Maybe God Is Asking You To Wait A Little More

Have you been waiting for weeks, months, or even years for a prayer to be answered? My friend, I have one piece of advice: do not grow weary in waiting.

We all have different desires. In our limited human capacity, we try our best to achieve them, but at one point, we get tired. When we’ve exhausted all that we can do, yet answers seem so far, maybe God is asking us to wait.

Waiting is the least thing anyone wants to do.

We find it hard to stay still because we want instant results. We take matters into our own hands, ending up in disastrous outcomes, more often than not.

I believe God placed our dreams in our hearts for a reason – maybe for us to hope, to practice patience, to have a vision, who knows? All I know is that it is meant for the good. No matter what God plans to do with those dreams, we can be assured that He has a purpose for it.

“And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28)

I have pretty decent patience ever since, but when it comes to highly frustrating situations, I have to admit that I used to take matters into my own hands.

There was a time a couple of years back when I let my temper get to me. I was not thinking clearly during that time, and I made decisions that I know I shouldn’t have. Up to this day, I regret all the things I did and said. Things could be better today if it weren’t for those actions.

When God showed me the nasty consequences of impatience, I promised myself that I will never let my stubbornness get to me ever again.

In fact, I have grown to really believe in the power of waiting that I even incorporated “patience activities” into my daily routine.

For one, I do intermittent fasting. When I first started this practice, my main goal was to lose weight. When I achieved my ideal weight, I realized that the routine also instilled in me patience and discipline. I was able to see the beauty of delayed gratification as it directly and personally worked through me.

Before, when I have something that I want to buy, I typically swipe my credit card, without waiting for the next pay cheque or billing statement cut-off. Now, I carefully strategize. I list down all the things I want to buy, then assign one purchase per pay period. At first, it bothered me that I have to wait every two weeks before I am able to get what I want. I mean, that’s what credit cards are for, right? For people to buy stuff with money they don’t have yet. As I look back, I am just happy that God gave me the wisdom to handle these things better.

I also try to teach my son the value of waiting.

We have certain rules in the house, and most of them require waiting. For example, he is only allowed to play his video games starting Friday night. He has to wait for the whole week before he can touch that controller. On weekday mornings, he usually finishes preparing himself first before I do. He always asks if he can watch TV while waiting for me. I always say no, to the point that I even made it an official house rule. More than a “rule set by mommy,” I explain to him the beauty of waiting. It makes him focus on his home readings on weekday nights, stay calm amidst the uncomfortable stillness, and have a better sense of appreciation once the waiting is over.

You see, waiting is not just for the big things.

Waiting is also for the small stuff that seem mundane. If we are not patient with the little matters, how much worse can we be with the big ones?

On days when we feel so impatient, let’s just think about the numerous bible characters who had to wait a lot. Abraham and Sarah waited 25 years to have their son Isaac, David had to wait 15 years to become a king, the Israelites spent 40 years in the desert to get to the promised land.

At some point in the waiting process, we have to let go and simply keep our desires tucked safely in our hearts without trying too hard.

This does not mean we are giving up on our dreams. It’s showing God that we fully trust that He will fulfill those dreams someday. It may not be the way we envision it, but we can be sure that somehow, it will give us the joy we are yearning for because God thinks His version of our dream is the best for us.

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD.” (Isaiah 55:8)

The waiting will be worth it. Hold on. Keep on praying. God hears all our cries. Jesus did not give up on us. In fact, He died for us. He will never get tired of pursuing us. In the same way, let’s wait on Him, and don’t give up on our prayers.

“Pray without ceasing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:17)

I hope my long hiatus from posting was worth the wait. 😉 See you in the next one. God loves you.

<3,

Rina