“Good things come to those who wait,” or so the saying goes. We know that waiting is far from easy and that we can’t always identify or feel the good things that come out of our uncertainty.
Waiting is, in a word, difficult. Waiting feels passive, a thing nearly synonymous with doing nothing, with helplessness. And yet, in the life of the spirit, God calls us to wait. Waiting on God and His will, in the many ways He asks us to, becomes an active, deeply powerful, and necessary path to God.
Our Christianity is rooted in waiting. Since the moment Christ rose from the dead and ascended to heaven, Christians have waited for His return. The early Christians surely thought they would see His face again in their lifetimes; they waited and wondered. But they didn’t “sit around and wait” for the fulfillment of Christ’s promise. They pursued the imitation of Christ by sharing the Good News of God’s love, no matter the consequences. They, and the many of us who have followed, grew in trust that Jesus is also active in this waiting, doing good for us as He intercedes on our behalf (But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; . . . 1 John 2:1), preparing a dwelling place for us with God, and standing at the ready to obey God’s command to return to us (And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. John 14:3).
We too can actively wait for God, replacing the sense of uncertainty that can be so troubling when an unknown future looms. All healthy waiting has a singular foundation: Trust in God. With trust, fear and even despair find calm, because we embrace the belief that God has a purpose for whatever it is we are waiting for.
Trust in God converts anxiety into tranquil longing and allows us to seek God as we wait. It’s easy to make every minute of the day busy with activity, to distract ourselves during times of waiting and the unknown. Taken to higher spiritual ground, infusing actions with the presence of God transforms “busy-ness” into seeking, into helping others, into trust over worry.
Waiting on the Lord with trust is a meaningful way to acknowledge that we are helpless without Him. We wait on God to act: to renew our strength, to deliver, to answer our prayers. Trusting that God alone can and will do what is best for us humbles us in the reality that He is God, He is in charge, and we are not.
Waiting on God is a spiritual discipline that builds courage, strength, and hope. Turning uncertainty into an instrument of connection with God puts His plan in place in His time, creating a deeper obedience to God’s good will for our lives.
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