Anybody else bad at this? The only time I enjoy waiting is when I have a doctor's appointment. Sometimes I get there 15 minutes early just for the privilege of sitting and doing nothing, or reading a trashy magazine. But at other times, I get edgy when there are things that need to be done and there's no forward movement. I know I'm not the only one. My kids are bad at waiting too, which tells me that it's something we have to learn how to do. God needs to teach us how to wait, and we need to let Him.

If I'm honest with myself my inability to wait comes from two things - a desire for control, and a lack of faith in God's love for me. These are sins; things that don't come from God or a love for Him. Waiting annoys me because it seems pointless, inactive, and futile. Waiting for the world probably is, but waiting on God is something quite different.

Psalm 31:24 helps me to understand what waiting on God is.

"Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart, all you who hope in the Lord." (NKJV)

Waiting is letting God strengthen you, and you have to sit still to do that. You have to sit down to eat a good meal. You have to sit with God to be strengthened by Him. It is God who does the strengthening. You only have so much strength on your own. When you sit with Him He feeds you. Waiting is strength.

"So, be strong and courageous, all you who put your hope in the Lord." (NLT)

Waiting on God is not pointless. It is letting Him do His work in your heart. God never sleeps. He is always active and at work. When we wait on Him we let Him carry out what He wants to in us, often to prepare us for the very thing we are trying to bring about. Waiting is courageous.

"Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all ye that wait for the Lord." (Eng. Rev.)

Waiting on God happens in the heart. You can sit still all day, but if it's not with God, it is futile. Waiting is an attitude as much as something that you do. "It is with the heart that we must wait upon God." Andrew Murray, Waiting on God. Waiting can be active. The body can do things, even do things towards what you want to bring about, but the heart must be peaceful and waiting on God. Waiting is faith.

If I want something badly I need to let go of it to God. I am not giving up, I am releasing it to Him. It takes courage, humility, faith, and sometimes strength to wait on God, especially when I am sure I could bring it about by my own effort. But I am beginning to learn the blessing of waiting.

If I ever get fixated with something; if my inability to succeed is making me mad; if I am stressed over small things; or dragging my feet to pray ... These are all signs that I am hanging on, trying to control, not acting in faith. When I am waiting on God I know "the peace of God which transcends all understanding" (Phil 4:7). I am able to smile even when things aren't right. I can count my blessings and appreciate small joys. And at the end I love watching God make it all fall into place. I have the energy to enjoy what He has completed for me, and I feel so much more blessed than if I had struggled and strived on my own.