I don’t know about you but I  hate to wait. I am the first one out of the car, in the store, and buying items before my family even opens the car door. I am the one who cannot sit around doing nothing for too long or I go nuts. I must admit I can be a pretty impatient person when I am ready to go! I don’t like to wait around for too long. I have learned a lot about waiting though over the years especially when it comes to the timing of life.

I think many people are in the waiting stage of life. They are in between where they are and where they could be. They see great things ahead of them but feel like they are stuck in waiting mode. So what do we do when we are in the waiting stage of life? What is required of us when we are waiting for the next season of life?

I have found that waiting on the Lord does not mean we do nothing rather it means we actively wait.  What does active waiting look like? To get a true picture of waiting let’s take a look at the life of David in the Bible…

1 Samuel 16:1-13

The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king.” But Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears about it, he will kill me.” The Lord said, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’3 Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what to do. You are to anoint for me the one I indicate.”  Samuel did what the Lord said. When he arrived at Bethlehem, the elders of the town trembled when they met him. They asked, “Do you come in peace?” Samuel replied, “Yes, in peace; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves and come to the sacrifice with me.” Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.  When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed stands here before the Lord.” But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” Then Jesse called Abinadab and had him pass in front of Samuel. But Samuel said, “TheLord has not chosen this one either.” Jesse then had Shammah pass by, but Samuel said, “Nor has the Lord chosen this one.” Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel, but Samuel said to him, “The Lord has not chosen these.”  So he asked Jesse, “Are these allthe sons you have?” “There is still the youngest,” Jesse answered. “He is tending the sheep.” Samuel said, “Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives.” So he sent for him and had him brought in. He was glowing with health and had a fine appearance and handsome features.  Then the Lord said, “Rise and anoint him; this is the one.” So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David. Samuel then went to Ramah.

David was anointed by Samuel to be King yet he went back to sheep herding the next day. It took many years until the anointing of becoming King became a reality for David. Imagine the waiting game he had to play for those years. Nothing on the outside changed for David after he was anointed. He simply kept doing what he had always done before, herding sheep. Yet, God was preparing him to be a King in those fields. The lessons he would learn while he was leading the sheep would be the experience he would bring to leading the nation of Israel. David had to be intentional while he waited. He continued to seek the Lord and worship Him while he waited. He learned patience. He learned valuable warfare lessons while he fought off predators of the sheep. He learned how to trust in God’s timing while He waited for his opportunity.

We too, have to have our eyes on the promise and wait with intentionality to learn and grow. God will always come through when it is time to come through. Until then we learn and grow so we are ready for the opportunities that He will send. Intentionality means we are in constant pursuit of God while we wait, not sitting around doing nothing and being lazy. We learn everything there is to learn in the season we are currently in and then God will move us into the next season. We must embrace the lessons and growth that each season brings before we are ready for the next step. God will not delay with His promises. He will not forget what He has put into motion. God will never lead you where He will not provide for you. If He has called you to it, He will see you through it!

Don’t hate to wait! Be patient and endure through the season you are in being faithful to learn every lesson and fulfill every task.

Do not become frustrated while waiting, become faithful while waiting! There is a reason you are waiting, embrace it!