The other day, I tried teaching my daughter the essence and importance of waiting. So I called her to see me. I was working on my laptop then. When she got to where I was; I decided to keep quiet without saying anything further. As you would expect, she started tapping her feet on the floor, muttering some words, and even reminding me of her presence. I simply told her; “I know you’re here, just wait.”
Friend, how often do we get to remind God, “Daddy, I’m here…”. Yes, God knows you are here. The fact that He is not talking to you, or doing anything spectacular in your life does not mean that He has forgotten you or where you are. This is why Isaiah reminds us that we have been engraved in the palms of His hands (Isaiah 49:16). How could He ever forget us?
Like I did to my daughter, God tests and trains us with patience. There are times it feels like God is not saying anything, doing anything, or has simply forgotten you. You need to remind yourself that He has not. Why do you think Jesus had to voice this words; “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me…?” if not that He also felt forsaken or abandoned by God (Matthew 27:46)?
Perhaps you are also in that season in life where it seems like God has forgotten you. It feels like you are wasting away. I want to remind you that waiting is not wasting. Even if it feels so. Others have gone ahead. Your life should have moved faster than this, or you ought to have been living the life of your dream. You need to rethink your perspective. Waiting is not wasting.
God has a purpose for every waiting season of your life; He wants to accomplish something great (Isaiah 40:31). Sometimes, He wants to prepare you for your ultimate manifestation (Luke 1:80). It could be that He is hiding you from evil (Psalms 91:1). At times, God is just helping you to develop the fruit of patience so that you can be mature for destiny (Galatians 5:22, James 1:4).
Patience is not just about waiting. It is about what you do while you wait. You can be waiting and grumbling. You can be waiting and compromising. Or you can be waiting and developing capacity while trusting God to bring His words to pass in your life. After all said and done, it would not be about how long you waited, but about how much of divine purpose was accomplished in and through you while you wait (Psalms 46:10).
‘Demola Awoyele
Lead Pastor,
Destiny Impact Church
Akure, Nigeria