Waiting Well is Well Worth it

Waiting well is well worth it.

“Wait Patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.” - Psalm 27:14

How do we wait well? Patiently. Bravely. Courageously.

“They all met together and were constantly united in prayer, along with Mary the mother of Jesus, several other women, and the brothers of Jesus.” - Acts 1:14

Jesus told the disciples to wait in Jerusalem for His Spirit to come upon them, and they obeyed! Just a quick glance through Bible history should remind you just how often the people of God were given a clear instruction and immediately disobeyed. So, I think this is a big win for the early church!

Not only did they stay in Jerusalem, but while they were there, they waited well.

They didn’t just twiddle their thumbs, work on some puzzles, or play some games to pass the time. They gathered together and were "constantly united in prayer."

They were active in their waiting.

Church, what do we look like when we wait?

I’ll be the first to admit, I’m terrible at waiting. Like I said, I can hardly sit still. But to think of what it would look like for us to actively wait on the Lord in prayer… I can’t think of a better way to calm that nervous foot tapping or diffuse my impatient road rage, because there is no better way.

The word wait in the New Testament is exclusively used as a verb that translates to “serve or minister.” How beautiful is that!? The very word for waiting is active.

“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.” Romans 8:18-19

All of creation is in a season of waiting and longing. In our small-scale seasons of waiting, we experience the same longing and eager expectation for God to be revealed.

If you’re in a season of waiting, it’s because God has something more to give you. Rather than charging on ahead or grumbling about it, let’s find ourselves in prayer. Let’s find ourselves waiting with anticipation, eagerly seeking what God is going to give us next and how He’s going to use it to prepare us for the next season.

So in the little things and the big things, what do we do while we wait?
We gather together.
We pray in unity.
We intercede for one another.
We serve.
We minister.