Waiting

20-06-2022 | Empowerment | GraceStation Press

In a world that believes in immediate gratification, waiting can seem counterproductive.  

Yet waiting is an innate characteristic of man, don’t you think we spend most of our lives waiting. 

Waiting to be accepted 

Waiting to be called  

Waiting to fit in 

Waiting to be heard  

Waiting to be seen 

Waiting on the Lord  

Waiting often equates to doing nothing, being passive and getting frustrated at times with things appearing unfair. Waiting drains, especially when we channel all energy focussing and anticipating the result. We often get overwhelmed.  

Our response to waiting is to do, say or act, taking matters into our hands and this often placates our anxiety, giving us a sense of control.  

However, in situations where we have no control, where we cannot do anything, at a standstill with time passing and everything focussed on our desired outcome, waiting can be difficult. The energy spent focussing and anticipating tires and can be overwhelming, prompting a need to do, say and act now. A need to take things into one’s hands to achieve the desired outcome.  

This trait in children is curbed by helping them develop self-control usually using distraction tactics. In instances where impatience is regularly demonstrated, we often associate another cause- ‘impulsivity’, requiring us to take a closer look at such traits. Yet we are encouraged to patiently trust that our desired outcome will happen at the right time.  

I mean waiting to be seated at a restaurant, traffic, to be called at the doctors could be a lot easier because we can estimate timelines or outcomes since we have some control over them. Waiting on the Lord, however, is a different ball game. We have no control over timelines of if /when it will happen. The amount of focus and anticipation spent when waiting, especially on the Lord, can be strenuous with control and timings out of our hands. 

As Christians, we sometimes pray long and hard about a situation in our life without receiving any answers. We just learn to live with it often wondering if or when God will send the answer. We are to be reminded that God does hear those prayers, and He is working out the answers even though we may not know all the details.