No one likes waiting. We want what we want and we want it now. Yet as Christians we are constantly reminded to wait on God. It’s easy to say, but can be very difficult to actually do.
Waiting on God can be painful and the longer it takes, the worse it gets—you pray, you cry, you wait. Then you cry, pray and wait some more. But what if God is waiting on you?
God is a perfect gentleman. He will never force you in any way. If He’s not moving in an area of your life it may be because He’s giving you the opportunity to grow.
God’s ways are far above our ways. His thoughts are far above our thoughts (Isaiah 55:8). So if what you’re 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 for you to change before He delivers the things you’re praying for:
- Nothing is changing. Often times your circumstances can’t change because God needs to change something in you. You can’t put new wine into old wineskin, it’ll never hold (Matt 9:17). Be willing to be changed yourself, and you may begin to see the breakthrough.
- You don’t hear from Him. There are few things more frustrating than feeling like your prayers are just bouncing off the sky. I’ve learned that when I don’t hear from God, it’s because I still haven’t followed the last thing He told me to do. Remember, God does not honor disobedience.
- You’re dependent on something besides Him. When you rely on yourself for solutions, you tend to forget to pray. Have you forgotten to ask God for his help? Often times God will put you in a position where you have to rely on Him because when He brings the victory, He doesn’t want you taking the credit for it.
- Your peace comes and goes. Peace follows faith. When your peace leaves, chances are your faith led the way. If you’re feeling confused and vacillating, you have likely stepped out of faith and into fear.
- You’re working too hard. Jesus said, “My yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:30). Granted, hard work is a component of success, but when you try to make things happen on your own, you go beyond doing what’s required. The work God gives you comes packaged with the grace to do it. If you’re efforts feel like really hard work, you’re operating from your own strength, not His.
Waiting on God is not always easy, but the sooner you see God’s sovereign hand at work in YOU and not just your circumstances, the greater the glory you can give to Him.
Visit my blog for more tips on “How to Wait on the Lord.” and “How to Have Faith When Everything is Going Wrong”
