I don’t know anyone who particularly likes to wait. Waiting in line, waiting for a delivery, waiting for a repair person to arrive, waiting on our children and spouses…waiting can be tedious.
And waiting can be hard.
Especially when we’re waiting on God.
When we wait on God, we don’t know His timing, what the future will look like, or if our days will go the way we want them to.
We don’t get to see the full picture of our lives like God does. And yet, He tells us to wait and trust Him.
It’s not easy because waiting can feel like a waste of time. There’s a sense of loneliness as we watch others move ahead and we’re stuck behind…waiting.
But we are not left alone. As we wait, God promises to be with us. And God always keeps His promises.
“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” (Which means God with us.) Isaiah 7:14 NIV
His very name is God with us. It’s Who He is.
God promised us a Savior and He kept His promise.
“But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.” Luke 2:10-11 NIV
He is Immanuel. God with us.
While we wait and let God work, He does not walk away and He doesn’t leave us. Instead, He draws us close to Him and helps us wait.
He makes hope possible when we see no reason for hope.
He fills our hearts with joy that we can’t explain and won’t find anywhere else.
He renews our strength and energy when we have nothing left inside of us.
He gives us the ability to see His blessings in the midst of difficulties, and He brings peace to our lives where peace doesn’t make sense.
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13 NIV
That’s God—helping us wait on Him.
Waiting can make us feel like we’re not doing anything, but we are doing something. We’re leaning in to Him, learning to trust Him on a deeper level.
Waiting is hard, but it is not time wasted.
Without waiting, we would miss out on the way He draws us close to Him and works in us to change our hearts.
Without waiting and trusting Him, we wouldn’t experience hope when we feel hopeless, joy in the midst of unhappiness, and peace that we can’t explain.
Not through anything we can do ourselves, but all because of Him.
Immanuel—God with us.
By Laura Rath
Used by Permission
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Further Reading
• What a Friend we Have in Jesus
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