When Waiting on God Takes Too Long

I want to share something a bit different with you all and I hope you trust me enough to bear with me as I scratch below the surface.

Something tells me I am not the only person who has waited and waited AND WAITED some more on God to answer a fervent prayer. To make good on a promise He’s made to you.  It doesn’t matter what it is you are waiting on. It could be waiting on healing for your child (or your own healing), breaking free from some sort of thing that has you or someone you love bound, a career move you are desperate to make, trying to conceive a child after years and years of fruitless attempts, or it could be marrying your Boaz. Whatever that “it” is, I have learned that as much as we want to cry out, “Why is this happening? What am I supposed to get out of this? What exactly are you trying to show me God?” it is all a part of the divine process.

For just a moment, let’s talk about the patient and faithful people of God who had to wait it out to receive their promise. Joseph waited 13 years before he became overseer to the king of Egypt, a fulfillment of the dream God had given him. Abraham waited 25 years to receive the promise of his son Isaac, ultimately becoming the father of many nations, fulfilling God’s promise. Jesus waited 30 years to begin His ministry, baptizing with the Holy Spirit (John 1:35-42). Moses waited 40 years to get the Israelites through the wilderness to the land that was promised to them. I’ve got to believe they suffered some things during their waiting. They were put through the fire! I just know Joseph thought he’d been abandoned by the time he was imprisoned!

What about you? Are you waiting on God for something important? I know firsthand the wait may feel like it will never end. I have experienced how the enemy may be using every trick he knows to make you lose your faith, to give up on what God has for you, and ultimately miss out on your promise. But just look at the company you are in! If you are struggling with the weight of waiting, I encourage you to take your hands off your circumstances and give that weight to God. Every single day, put on the full armor of God and remind yourself to decrease so that He may be increased. I am not saying any of this easy. That is the BIGGEST misconception when we are walking with God. It is anything but easy. If someone had told me that sooner, I would not have changed my decision to lean into God, I just would have been more prepared and had my expectations in order.

Psalms 34:19 reminds us, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all.” Of course, I can’t speculate how we will be set free from the afflictions, the tests, the hardships; but without a doubt, we are assured we will have them. We just need to have faith. Read my virtual lips…have faith that the obstacle will be moved, in His timing. He definitely is NOT on our time.

I was led to write about my experience and you’ll see in my book, there were many times I was close to the edge, ready to snap. God had to tap and correct me on several occasions, but I eventually figured it out. He was not moved by my tantrums. At all.

His process is for our perfecting, the perfecting of our faith. Rushing God and trying to control the steps was leaning on my own understanding (and my will), versus His. I was trying to do in the natural – with my hands – what was meant to occur spiritually – in His hands.

My journey to the altar ultimately increased my faith, but it was a painful walk. As time went on and as I drew closer to God and stopped battling with myself, I began to understand the reason for the wait and what He was trying to do. I was tightly clinging to past traumas, false ideals, religion (that’s a different kind of weight), and other burdens that mentally and emotionally weighed me down. He wanted to free me of all of that if I could just trust Him.

That’s where faith came in. FAITH! The substance of things not seen! Sometimes we just think “we’ve got this,” and want to do it all on our own. It is easy for us to slip into a pattern of failing to trust what we cannot see directly in front of us, like the concept of faith. I had to really learn to be confident in what God was and is doing, those things I cannot see, but those things that I hope and hoped for. Holding on to that mustard seed, you hear me?! The Word says without faith we cannot please God. Wow. But it all takes is a mustard seed.

I have a simple, but kind of profound question. What does “Let go and let God mean” to you? I’ve heard that expression for the better part of my life, but one day it hit me like a cold, wet towel in my face. We must make an exchange. Let it go; give our desires or our troubles to God and let Him take those burdens we aren’t meant to carry. Have faith (let God) He will give us the desires of our hearts if it is in His will. It’s that simple. Not that easy to do, but that simple.

There are some things we are going to go through in life to perfect our faith. However just like in Luke –when the disciples were on the boat and a vicious storm came, Jesus was sleeping. The disciples had to wake Him, in fear and trembling – even though they knew who they’d been walking with and had witnessed firsthand His greatness. But that storm came and when it did their faith wavered (Luke 8:22-25) If God allows the storm to happen, He’s already made a way out. Just like Jesus told the disciples, “Let us go over unto the other side of the lake.”

I share 8 principles that encouraged me in the process of perfecting my faith, as I learned to get to a place of obedience. I hope it blesses you.

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