Hi friend,
Let’s be real here, no likes waiting. We’re in a time where we want things here and now. Amazon better have my package here by tomorrow and my pizza bites better be done in two minutes, not three. But as followers of Christ, we are constantly reminded to wait on God. That can be hard and contradicting to actually do.
When we are waiting on God, it can be painful and the longer that it takes, the harder it can become. You pray, you cry, you wait, you plead.. It’s a repeating cycle. Waiting on God and giving him permission in our lives is good. It’s essential to our faith to wait on Him and not get ahead of Him. It’s important we are not waiting passively for Him to move too, that’s not how he works. But what if God is actually waiting on you?
I believe a lot of the time that we are so focused on what we can get from God rather than what we can give to God. We take, expect, and demand from Him more than we realize or should. Unlike us, He will never force you into relationship with Him, although that is his initial goal.
Let’s take a look at that situation you’ve been relentlessly praying about though — if he’s not moving in there, it may be because He is giving you the opportunity to grow. So, if what you are hoping for isn’t happening, it may be a sign that God is actually waiting on you.
Here are five signs that God is waiting on you to change before He delivers what you are praying for:
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There is no change.
Our circumstances can’t change because God needs something to change in you. Be willing to change yourself and you may begin to see breakthrough. We can’t just put new wine into old wine skin. It won’t ever hold. (Matthew 9:17)
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You’re not hearing from Him.
It can be pretty frustrating and conflicting where you feel like your prayers are just bouncing off the sky. I’ve learned that when I’m not hearing from God, it’s because I haven’t followed the last thing that He told me to do. Remember, God doesn’t honor disobedience.
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You’re depending on something else besides Him.
As humans, we tend to try and be independent and do things on our own without waiting for God’s help. When you are relying on yourself for solutions, you tend to forget to pray. He will often put you in a position where you have to rely on Him because He is who brings the victory. He doesn’t want you taking credit for it.
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Your peace comes and goes.
Peace follows faith. When your peace leaves, there’s a good change that your faith led the way. Our lives are not supposed to be like a constant rollercoaster of ups and downs. If you’re feeling confused and indecisive, it’s likely that you’ve stepped out of faith and into fear.
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You’re working too hard.
“My yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:30)
Now, hard work is a component of success, but when you are trying to make things happen on your own, you are going beyond what you are required to do. Work from God comes packaged with the grace to do it. If your efforts feel like really hard work without results, you’re operating from your own strength, not His.
God is waiting on us to take that leap of faith forward and step with courage, only then will we begin to see the work of God’s hand in our lives. In the Book of Joshua, the men were marching forward, they were fighting battles, they were pressing on into the hill country and taking over the land. They were on the move.
Waiting on God isn’t always easy, but the sooner you see God’s sovereign hand at work within you and not just your circumstances, the greater the glory you can give Him.
—Brittany