Waiting on God – Part 2: When You’re Still Waiting

“But those who wait upon God get fresh strength. They spread their wings and soar like eagles. They run and don’t get tired; they walk and don’t lag behind.” Isiah 40:31 MSG

Like I mentioned in my last blog a few weeks ago, no one likes to wait. And yet, the Bible is filled with examples and situations where God makes people wait – sometimes for a long, long time.

Maybe you are currently in a situation where you have to wait. Maybe you’re waiting for God to restore a relationship or to bring someone to salvation. Maybe you’re waiting for God to provide for a need, for Him to fulfill a promise, to bring redemption, to bring healing or for Covid just to end already! Waiting, in all its forms, can be tedious.

And yet, how we wait is extremely important. It’s not just a question of killing time until the next thing comes along. What we do when we wait and how we wait can either be edifying or damaging; it can either bear fruits or consequences in the long term.

Really, Steph…? Is it that important? – Well, I’m glad you asked! Let’s take a look!

 A great example of waiting is when Jesus told his disciples to wait in Jerusalem and not leave the city until The Helper is sent to them (Acts 1:4). How did they wait? They gathered together. They worshipped and prayed. They aligned their hearts with God and waited with anticipation for Him to move. And then God did what He promised. He sent the Holy Spirit and filled every single person, not just some, not just a few, not just the lucky ones or the spiritual elites; He filled ALL who were there waiting and expecting the Holy Spirit to come. Then they spilled out into the city and shared the good news!

After looking at this beautiful account of waiting well, I started looking for the best worst example of waiting to contrast the event of Pentecost Sunday. I thought of different Bible stories; it turns out that quite a few people waited badly in the Bible. If you struggle with waiting on God, it turns out you’re in pretty good company. While I searched for the best cautionary tale of not waiting well, I asked God which one was the worst story and right away, I felt God answered: “Abraham and Sarah”!

Oh yes, Abraham and Sarah… Genesis tells us the story of an elderly couple who was barren and without child. But when Abraham was 75 years old, God promised him descendants. They waited 25 years! According to Google, Sarah would have been 90 years old when she finally gave birth, and Genesis tells us Abraham was 100 (Gen 21:5)! She was way past the age of barring children. It wasn’t just a question of infertility; God had to alter the laws of nature! They waited 25 years for the impossible. No wonder they got tired of waiting; no wonder they started calculating and problem-solving on their own during those 25 years of waiting. Unlike the disciples who waited for the Holy Spirit with worship and expectancy, Abraham and Sarah took a slightly different approach to wait.

It’s true that we don’t have many details or much of a background story about how they came up with this alternative creative plan of having children. All we know is found in Genesis 16 where Sarah told Abraham her plan for having children, which clearly excluded God’s intervention in any way: “Sarai said to Abram, ‘God has not seen fit to let me have a child. Sleep with my maid. Maybe I can get a family from her.’ Abram agreed to do what Sarai said.” (Gen 16:2 MSG).  Far from worshipping God in the waiting, there seems to be a tinge of bitterness towards God, who hasn’t given her what she wanted, so she decided to take matters into her own hands and sought someone else to be the source of what she wanted. She replaced God as her provider for a maid under her control.  The outcome of this decision? Generational strife and wars between nations that last to this day. The long-lasting consequences of this decision are heartbreaking, to say the least.

And yet, despite their disbelief, lack of trust in God, and attempts to manipulate the outcome, God was still faithful to Abraham and Sarah! “Now the Lord was gracious to Sarah, as he had said, and the Lord did for Sarah what he had promised. Sarah became pregnant and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the very time God had promised him.” Genesis 21:1-2 NIV

Heavenly Father, thank you for Your great and undeserved faithfulness towards us, even when we are faithless and self-serving. God help us to abide in You while we wait on You. Teach us how to worship You in every and any season of life. Remind us that You know what is best, and You are a loving father who leads us by still waters. Help us to worship You today no matter the circumstances. In Jesus’ name, we pray, amen!