I am so not good at waiting. In fact, I intensely dislike waiting. I see commercials every day that tell me not to wait, to get it now before this amazing deal ends. I am ADD, so I am not programmed to wait well. But that is what I am called to do.

Today at Fellowship Bible Church, Lloyd Shadrach taught about waiting. He said people treat the word “wait” like it’s a four-letter word. A bad four-letter word. But it is a four letter word that can be spelled G-I-F-T. Every time we wait on God is a gift meant to teach us that we are not in control and we really don’t want to be in control. Think of Bruce in Bruce Almighty and you get the picture.

“Every wait is a pregnancy,” Lloyd said, “and God is birthing something in your soul for your good and for His glory.” Something else he said really resonated with me. The time between the first prophecy of the Messiah and the Incarnation was 4,000 years. Above all those who were waiting on the promise, the one who waited the longest was God. For God to wait lifts the term up and gives it new meaning. The same God who calls us to wait on Him was willing to wait on His own promise.

Also interesting, the words wait and hope are used interchangeably in the Bible, particularly in Psalm 130. “I wait for the LORD, my soul does wait, and in His word do I hope” (Psalm 130:5).

Waiting is more than sitting by a celestial phone, waiting for the next order. Waiting is actively trusting God and pursuing after His heart. Waiting is being transformed into the likeness of Christ. Waiting is hard work, but so worth it.

Lord, I will wait on you as long as it takes. I surrender my illusions of control over my life. Take my life, my love, my all and do whatever You want with it, whenever You want, however You want.

Amen.