I’m in a season of waiting right now. Waiting for my next book to find a home with a publisher. Waiting for a grant to come through to provide funding for ministry. Waiting for the next step in what God has called me to. Waiting for God to work in lives around me, to accomplish His purposes in each of us.
I don’t know about you, but waiting isn’t the easiest thing for me. I have a hard time with the things that I can’t control, but God doesn’t want or need for me to be in control.
So why the waiting? God is sovereign. He can do anything at any time, so why does He give us a promise or a vision of something, and then make us wait?
You know, the more I think about it, the more I realize that God has a purpose in the waiting. I always kind of thought that waiting was just about the timing of things. Of course, God has a right time for everything, and His timing is perfect. But what if there’s more to the waiting than that.
More to the Waiting
What if the waiting is about what God wants to do in me?
“Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!”
Isaiah 30:18, NIV
If I am waiting on God to do a great work in someone else’s life, then maybe He is teaching me the importance of fervent prayer and intercession.
“The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.”
James 5:16b
If I am waiting on God to bring to pass a promise He’s given me, maybe I need more faith, trust, patience, or perseverance to handle what is to come.
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.”
James 1:2-3
If I am waiting on God to reveal direction for my life, maybe in the mean time He is teaching me how to seek Him daily by spending time in His Word and in worship.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”
Proverbs 3:5-6
If I am waiting on God for anything–absolutely anything–then maybe I’m not yet ready for all that He has in store. Maybe I have some sin that God wants to help me overcome.
“For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope–the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.”
Titus 2:11-13
Maybe the waiting is the whole point of what God wants to do in my life.
The Seed Has What It Needs
I hate to be so obvious with the analogy, but think of the farmer who plants a seed. He is totally dependent upon God for the sunshine, rain, and right temperature for germination to take place. All he can do is wait. But think of what is taking place while the farmer waits.
A seed has a seed coat that protects it from any harmful substance harming the life of the plant inside. The seed contains endosperm, which is the food that nourishes it while it waits. The seed has life within that eventually will push through the soil at the right time–the radicle which becomes the root, and the plumule which becomes the shoot. Everything the plant needs for life can be found in the seed, but the seed has to die and fall to the ground, then wait for all the right conditions to be met before the growth takes place.
“I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.”
John 12:24
Death has to come before the seed is fruitful–death to self and sin and wanting things my way. Oh, but after the growth of that seed, praise God, the fruit comes! The fruit is borne at exactly the right time, and under the right conditions, care, attention, and pruning, there can be a great harvest.
Women of God, that harvest is what I believe God has in store for each of us right now. Some of us are still struggling with just letting the seed die and fall to the ground. We have to surrender all to God and die to self before we can even begin to plant.
Many of us are like the farmer, just waiting for the first little shoot to appear, but we need to remember that God has protected and provided for the seed. If we will let go and let God have His way, He will do the work in us that will make us ready for the harvest.
I’ve never been a farmer–only had a small garden before–but I know that it is hard work!! All of the weeding, fertilizing, and waiting can be so tiresome. But praise God, He does give us something to do while we wait. Instead of standing over the seed, sweating and strategizing and agonizing over whether we actually heard God say to plant these seeds, and instead of weeping because it looks like the seeds will never sprout, and instead of taking matters in our own hands and pulling the seeds out of the ground before they are ready, we can give it to God.
While We Wait
That’s right. Whew. What a relief! Trying to make that seed grow is overwhelmingly tiresome and wearying. Instead, we can take some steps while we wait:
- Pray with faith.
- Worship God and thank Him for the harvest that is coming.
- Confess God’s Word out loud and claim His promises.
- Listen for any correction God wants to give us.
These all require action on our part, yet they demonstrate our dependence upon and trust in God.
What are you waiting on God to fulfill in this season? Trust Him with the seed, do your part while you wait, and look forward to the harvest that’s coming. Our God is faithful!
Need support and encouragement while you wait? Join our private Facebook group, Growing Your Faith.