The Waiting Room, Part 2

In our previous post we ended by saying it is actually harder to wait on God than on people, even though He is the only one who never disappoints; let us continue our thought from there. There are different reasons why this can be the case, but for the purpose of this post, we will focus on three obvious ones.

1) Knowledge

One of the prominent reasons we find it harder to wait on God is because of our lack of knowledge. If we do not cultivate a habit of prayer and studying the word of God, we will know little of His character and His promises, and that often leads us to doubt. It is almost as if we can hear that slithering tongue whisper in our ears, “Did God really say…?”, and because we lack the light of knowledge to disperse the darkness of the doubts that plague us, we fall short.
God has given His people ‘great and precious promises’ (2 Pet. 1:4), and these promises would mean very little if they weren’t given by one who cannot lie (Num. 23:19; Titus 1:2). If we had a firmer grasp on not just what God has done, or what He has promised, but on who He is, we would doubt less.

‘“All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls off, but the word of the LORD endures forever.”’ (1 Pet. 1:24-25a)

2) Difference in Ways

The Bible tells us that our perspectives and ways are not the same as God’s. He sees differently (1 Sam. 16:7; Jer. 17:10), thinks differently (Isa. 55:8-9; Gen. 50:20), and operates on a different understanding of time from us (Ps. 90:4; Ecc. 3:1). This tends to make us uncomfortable because it means our sense of control is shattered by a variable we cannot predict. Our motives are bare to Him so we cannot pretend or hide our intentions. Our righteous works and morals pale in comparison to Him who is good and only does good. Our instant-oriented outlook and lack of patience is thwarted by His lofty timing.
If we can only bring ourselves to a point of humility and let go of our desire to be in control of everything, we will quickly find that resting in God’s hands is the best place to be.

‘Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes’ (Prov. 3:5-7a)

3) Faith

The final reason we will consider is that it is harder because our dealings with God are on the basis of faith (eg. Heb. 11:6), and that is something we tend to lack. Well, that isn’t quite right. The ironic truth is not necessarily that we lack faith, but that we find it easier to put our faith in other things than in God. It is more logical to walk by sight than by faith. It is more reasonable to rely on what you can see, perceive and understand, than what you cannot wrap your head around.
“God helps those who help themselves,” people often say (a lot of times in jest), implying that you need to get most of it done and God will do the rest or meet you half way, rather than you waiting on God. While I’m not encouraging a laid back attitude of ‘if God is sovereign, why do I need to do anything?’, I believe that God’s help is on the basis of faith, and not on our works.

‘The LORD favors those who fear Him, those who wait for His lovingkindness.’ (Ps. 147:11)

Besides, waiting on God and doing nothing are not actually the same thing. ‘What’s the difference,’ you ask? You will have to find out the next time!

When the final part of this post is uploaded, it will be linked here.

(In the meantime, why don’t you have a look at one of my previous posts, ‘God is Never Late For an Appointment’?)