Ever had someone promise to meet you at a specific time and they are late?  Of course – it was probably me that was late!  What do you do while you wait? Do you constantly watch for the other person to arrive? Do you get increasingly frustrated with their lack of accountability? Do you lecture yourself about “never counting on them again”?

 

 

Or…

 

Do you redeem the time? Do you catch up on your social media? Read your blog posts? Make your “to do” list for the next day?  Perhaps you answer emails or make your grocery list while you wait for your tardy appointment.

 

Or…

 

Do you do something completely different?

 

I subscribe to an automatic, first thing in the morning devotional on my phone.  I know some of you do too.  It is not too heady, just a brief look at a Bible passage and and then folks have the opportunity to leave comments as to how this brief look might impact them for the day.  Long about late afternoon, this little devotional, sends another text, with a few more thoughts on the passage in hopes that you have been ruminating the morning thoughts throughout the day. This morning, a study of Genesis started with the theme of new beginnings and feelings of uncertainty as we approach them.  As I read through the comments, I was struck with how poorly we do “waiting”.

 

What if:

• the waiting for answered prayer is not about looking forward to the next beginning?  
• as we are waiting for the answer, we are missing what God has in mind for us?
•  the waiting for the answer is the answer?

 

Think on this with me for a moment.

 

I am tired of the concept that “something” ended because “something” greater is on the horizon.  We just have to “wait” to see God reveal it. So we sit back and wait. And watch. And ask over and over again:

 

“Where are you God and where is this next ‘something’?”

 

“What is wrong with my faith that I cannot ‘see’ what you want me to do?”

 

“When will you ‘answer’ my prayer about my next move?”

 

It is like we come to the four way stop in our life and have no idea when it is our turn to go. So we inch forward, then slam on the brakes – look around – inch forward, slam on the brakes….

 

What if the waiting time is the answer?

 

 Perhaps that is all that is supposed to happen. Maybe we should find contentment in the waiting.  This is where we may learn to release control and that might be what all this waiting is about.  Be honest – none of us are great at REALLY giving up control.  Some of us are visible control freaks – but all of us have issues with this, some of us just hide it well. (I would not be counted in the later group, lol!)

 

Like me, I know that you have a “list” of items that you have taken to God.

 

Like me, you would like God to move on them and let you know His answer. Some of those items are life changing, some are not. Some seem to be overwhelming. Some slip out of focus in the rush of the day. One thing that remains the same – is that we wait for resolution. We wait for answers. We wait for revelation.

 

 

Today – maybe we should just take the answer in the form of waiting.  Perhaps God just wants us to be content with waiting.

 

Wait.

 

Don’t fume, don’t be frustrated, don’t furtively look for the answer. Also, don’t redeem the time with keeping busy.  Don’t get caught up, Don’t make a plan. Don’t start a list.

 

Instead – just wait.

 

Look around and see God in the waiting. Spend a few moments of that waiting with Him.  Breath deeply. Release control. Let the waiting build trust.  Look back and see all that has already been and wait for the future. God already sees it – so – relax.
And maybe, just maybe, God is not taking His time answering our prayer – maybe we are living in the answer.