Pastor Travis Burkett
Isaiah 40:28-31
Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
Let’s be real, very few people enjoy the process of waiting. Whether we’re waiting for our food, waiting for the doctor to enter the room, or waiting in traffic, hardly anyone enjoys waiting. Our culture has created countless ways to distract us from waiting. In fact, we have even trimmed our waiting process down with microwaves, instapots, or even pick up groceries. (No hate, I love these features too).
Have you ever asked yourself if there is something God is trying to show us through our seasons of waiting? Throughout scripture, we see numerous stories of God’s people waiting. Jonah waited in the whale. Abraham waited for God to give him a son. Mary and Martha waited four days for Jesus when Lazarus died. The disciples waited for the great catch. Israel waited for deliverance from Egypt.
If we aren’t careful, we view waiting as a negative sense, but we see God show up in miraculous ways through a season of waiting. The key to waiting is as Isaiah says, wait upon the Lord. Dwelling in the presence of Jesus. When we dwell in His presence, we taste His goodness and trust in His promises. Sometimes, seasons of waiting are just what we need to see our God show Himself present in our lives.
2 Peter 3:9 has been an encouragement to me while I have endured seasons of waiting. It says: “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is long suffering to usward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” The reality is, no matter what season of life we encounter, God is good. God’s promises are relevant, God is long-suffering. God desperately cares about whatever season we endure. Because God is good, we can walk in faith. We can trust that God knows each step we take.
I guess the question is this, when facing a season of waiting, how can we wait on the Lord? How can we wait well? I leave you with three encouragements: Don’t neglect daily time with God. God’s Word must be prioritized in our lives no matter the seasons we face. It would also be a good idea to memorize the promises of God and remind ourselves of His attributes. Finally, find people to speak God’s truth in your life. Don’t wish your seasons away, but allow God to show you who He is during each season.