Waiting is hard. We want answers and results right away. Indeed, our culture of instant gratification is completely intolerant of long wait times. Whether we are waiting for a package to arrive or for some procedure to be done, we want it done, and done now. Waiting, for many of us, isn’t simply hard, it’s intolerable. We are anti-waiting.

Children are such excellent and dramatic illustrations of our anti-waiting natures. Ever witness a toddler throw a full-blown temper tantrum because they are told to wait on something that is literally coming their way in like five minutes? We smile and snicker at such things, but aren’t we the same way? Children (and all of us) don’t like to wait. I mean, let’s be honest, we hate to wait. And why do we loath waiting so much? Because we honestly believe that if a certain desire has hit us, it must be met with immediate satisfaction, or we won’t ever be truly happy, at peace, or free.

Then, like a flashing red light along our Christian pathway, we have these verses that pop up…

• Psalm 27:14 – “Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!”

• Psalm 37:7-9 – “Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices! Refrain from anger and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil. For the evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait for the LORD shall inherit the land.”

• Psalm 130:5 – “I wait for the LORD, my souls waits, and in his word I hope.”

Over and over again, the Psalmist David reminds us to “wait for the LORD.” And let me tell you, David was extremely familiar with the waiting game. Remember how long it took him to be installed as King of Israel after he was anointed King of Israel? 15 years! Yes, it took God 15 years to finally and fully install David as King after God had already chosen and anointed him to be King. David had to wait on the Lord during this time period, a time period that involved him running for his life as King Saul tried to kill him over and over again, and he had to wait on God many times thereafter. With impeccable credibility, David tells you and me to “wait for the LORD.”

Friend, let me encourage you, whether you are waiting for an answer to prayer or waiting for God to give you clear direction concerning that big decision in front of you, wait on the Lord. Wait on God’s timing. Wait on God’s provision. Wait on God’s instructions. Rest assured, in the waiting, God is working. Yes, even if you can’t see it or feel it, God is working in your waiting. As you wait on the Lord, trust Him. As you wait on the Lord, worship Him. As you wait on the Lord, serve Him. He’ll come through, because His timing isn’t just better than yours, it’s perfect – completely and totally perfect.