Week 3: What If the Waiting Is the Work?

Strength for Today
Week 3: What If the Waiting Is the Work?

"But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." ~ Isaiah 40:31 (NIV)

I don't think most of us are very good at waiting.

We wait for the phone call.
The test result.
The answer to prayer.
The open door.
The healing.
The breakthrough.
The change we've been asking God for.

Somewhere along the way, we begin treating the waiting like an uncomfortable hallway between where we are and where we believe we're supposed to be.

We tell ourselves: When this is over, I'll move forward. When God answers this prayer, I'll have peace. When this situation changes, I'll finally be able to breathe again. When I understand what God is doing, then I'll be able to trust Him. But lately, I've been wondering...

What if the waiting isn't simply the space between where we are and where we're going? What if God is doing something important right here? What if the waiting is part of the work?

Last week, we talked about those seasons when God seems silent - when we've prayed, trusted, hoped, and yet nothing appears to be changing. But perhaps there's another question worth asking:

While I'm waiting for God to change my circumstances, what might God be changing in me?

That's a harder question. If I'm honest, I usually want God to change the situation. God, open the door. Fix the problem. Heal what's hurting. Give me the answer. Show me what's next.

There's nothing wrong with bringing those desires to Him. Scripture tells us to bring our requests before God. But sometimes, while we're asking God to change what is happening around us, He begins doing something far deeper within us.

He teaches us patience we didn't know we needed. Dependence we couldn't learn when everything was going well. Compassion that could only be born from having hurt ourselves. Faith that no longer depends upon seeing the outcome; and a kind of trust that quietly says: "Lord, even here, I still choose You."

Maybe that's why waiting appears so often throughout Scripture.

Abraham waited for the son God promised.
Joseph waited years between the dream God gave him and the day he saw it fulfilled.
David was anointed king long before he ever sat on the throne.
The Israelites waited generations for the promised Messiah.
Even Jesus lived approximately thirty years before beginning His public ministry.

God does not seem nearly as uncomfortable with waiting as we are. Perhaps that's because He knows something we often forget: Waiting and wasting are not the same thing. God can accomplish extraordinary things in seasons that look completely unproductive to us.

A seed buried beneath the soil looks like nothing is happening. There are no flowers. No fruit. No visible evidence of growth. But underneath, roots are forming. Without the roots, the plant could never withstand what comes next.

Maybe some seasons of our lives are like that. We keep looking for fruit while God is growing roots. We keep asking for visible progress while God is building unseen strength. We keep wondering when we'll finally move forward while God is quietly preparing us for the place we're asking Him to take us.

Isaiah 40:31 says: "Those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength."

I love that word: renew. God doesn't ask us to manufacture strength we don't have, He invites us to place our hope in Him. He supplies what we need.

There's something else in that verse that I think we sometimes overlook. We love the part about soaring on wings like eagles. We love running without growing weary, but sometimes faith simply walks. One ordinary step. Then another. Then another. No dramatic breakthrough. No mountain-moving moment. Just quiet obedience.

Getting up in the morning.
Praying again.
Opening God's Word again.
Choosing forgiveness again.
Trusting again.
Believing again.

Taking today's step without knowing what tomorrow holds.

Friend, maybe that's where you are right now. Maybe you're tired of waiting. Maybe you've prayed the same prayer so many times you don't even know what else to say. Maybe everyone around you seems to be moving forward while you feel as though you're standing still. 

Please hear this: You are not behind. God has not misplaced your story. This season is not meaningless simply because you cannot yet see what it's producing.

There may be things growing in you right now that you won't recognize until much later.

A deeper faith.
A softer heart.
Greater compassion.
Stronger character.
A quieter confidence in God.
Roots... deep, strong roots.

One day, you may look back at the season you begged God to hurry, and realize it was one of the places where He shaped you most.

So perhaps our prayer shouldn't always be: "God, please get me out of this season."

Maybe sometimes it should be: "God, don't let me miss what You want to teach me here." Don't let me rush through the very place where You're drawing me closer to You. Don't let my desire for the destination make me miss Your presence on the journey; and don't let me become so focused on what I'm waiting for that I overlook what You're doing within me while I wait.

Perhaps the waiting isn't interrupting the story. Perhaps it's part of the story.

This Week's Reflection

Take a moment today and think about something you're waiting for.

An answer.
A change.
Healing.
Direction.
Restoration.
A new beginning.

Whatever it is, ask yourself: "Have I become so focused on what I'm waiting for that I've stopped noticing what God may be doing while I wait?"

Then ask Him one simple question: "Lord, what are You growing in me here?"

Don't rush to answer it. Sit with Him. Open His Word. Listen.

This week, instead of only praying for God to change your circumstances, ask Him to use your circumstances to change you.

A Prayer

Heavenly Father, You know the things we're waiting for. You know the prayers we've prayed again and again, the questions that remain unanswered, and the places where we're growing tired. Sometimes waiting feels so difficult, Lord.

We confess that we often want Your answers more than we want Your process. We want the open door without the hallway. The fruit without the roots. The destination without the journey.

Forgive us for the times we've been so focused on what You haven't done yet that we've missed what You're doing right now.

Teach us to trust Your timing. Give us eyes to recognize Your hand in the ordinary days. When we cannot see progress, remind us that roots grow in hidden places. When we become impatient, teach us to rest in Your wisdom. When we grow weary, renew our strength, and when we're tempted to believe that nothing is happening, remind us that You are never idle.

Lord, if there is something You want to teach us in this season, give us hearts willing to learn. If there is something You need to remove, give us courage to release it. If there is something You're growing within us, give us patience to let the roots grow deep. Above all, don't allow our longing for what comes next to make us miss You right here.

May we become so secure in Your goodness that even before the answer comes, we can say: You are enough.

In Jesus' name,

Amen.

A Blessing for Your Week

May God give you patience for the things you cannot hurry...
Peace for the things you cannot control...
Faith for the things you cannot yet see...
And strength for the steps you still have to take.

May you recognize His presence in ordinary moments and His hand in unexpected places.
May your roots grow deeper while you wait.
And when you're tempted to wonder whether anything is happening at all, may you remember:

God is never wasting a season He can use to shape a heart.

Until next Tuesday,

With grace, coffee & leggings,
☕ZQueenBee