To every season under the sun and the moon, there is an appointed time for each of God's promises to unravel in one's life. The Lord takes us each through valleys and mountains, and the differing seasons paint a picture of what is to come and what to prepare for. He will align everything to fall perfectly into place according to His will.
In the laboring and the waiting, we learn to do our best and trust that God will do the rest. We must be obedient and operate under God's timing. When He says, 'Go,' we must go. When He says, 'No,' we must stop. When He says, 'Wait,' we must wait for further instruction and direction.
Sometimes the wait might feel like a delay, other times it might feel more like a burden, but we wouldn't want to settle for any other way than doing it His way. Learn to dig deep into His Word, seeking His way, and following His will knowing that what God has for you will not pass you by.
God is a God of divine order, and we need to wait for His instructions and discern His voice. In doing so, our character is being strengthened and spiritual discipline is being built. As I was doing my devotional, the Lord revealed to me five different words – that all happened to start with the letter P –which He's been taking me through during my season of waiting. I've appropriately titled it, "The 5 P’s of Waiting" which I pray will also help you in your journey in discerning which step you're currently in.
Waiting teaches us PATIENCE if we learn to find PURPOSE in the PROCESS that is PREPARING us for the PROMISE.
PATIENCE: Waiting on God develops our patience.
Patience is active. It is a virtue. A holy characteristic that develops our trust in God. As I wait patiently, I am active in my pursuit to know God on a more intimate level, and become the woman He created me to be. If your heart is open, you will see that patience, a fruit of the spirit, points straight to God's goodness as He refines our heart. To wait and to be patient is to trust that God is at work even if we can’t see or understand what God is doing at any given moment of time. During this step of developing patience, God reveals His lovingkindness, His character – that He is not absent, rather totally present even when we may not know where He is leading us.
PURPOSE: Waiting on God gives us purpose and is full of purpose.
The purpose of the wait is to refine our motives. The test of the wait is to remove idols from the heart. Don’t allow what you’re waiting for to become an idol or take precedence over your desire for the Lord. When you are pursuing your dream more than you are pursuing God's will, you are allowing your wants to become greater than what God wants for your life. Pray that God makes His desires your desires and that if the things you’ve been waiting are not of God, that they are replaced with God’s best for your life. Make God your ultimate desire. Instead of getting from God, learn to give to Him. Ultimately, it’s not about getting what we want, but about becoming who God wants us to be.
PROCESS: Waiting on God is a process.
“But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.” – Jeremiah 17:7-8
The process of the wait is much like cultivating a garden – pruning, weeding out, watering, blossoming. Being full of praise and prayer is the sweet fragrance that will remove the weeds of bitterness in the process. And even when you do get what you've been waiting for, continue cultivating a spirit of praise and a heart full of prayer. The process purifies our intentions as we learn to seek the Giver of the gifts, not just the gifts. Breakthrough comes when you understand and realize that you’re not waiting on people for your miracle, you’re waiting on the giver of all gifts, the miracle Himself! In the waiting, you can and will still be fruitful as long as you’re connected to the vine (John 15:5), and make the Lord your hope and confidence by trusting in Him.
PREPARATION: Waiting on God prepares you for His promises.
Anything quality, anything good, and anything worth waiting for, comes through a process of preparation. Pray for God to prepare you now for what is coming and prepare your heart to be transformed into the image of Jesus. Prepare what you are praying for! Pray that He leads you to the right places, right people, divine alignments.
As you’re waiting for Jesus to return, be active in preparing for eternity.
As you’re waiting for healing, be active in believing that God is our healer and wants to heal.
As you’re waiting for a future husband or wife, be active in preparing to be the best spouse.
PROMISE: Waiting for God to fulfill His promises.
“Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 1:6
The fulfillment of the promise is God’s faithfulness. If you're still patiently waiting, and tenaciously enduring, having already surrendered your desires over the Lord, take heart and be assured that your Provider, Jehovah Jireh, is faithful to fulfill each and every promise that He has made to you. The best is yet to come is never about what this world can bring your way – no matter how great a desire or dream it may be – but the best who is yet to come is Jesus for His Bride, the Church, for you and for me! Even if you don’t get anything else in this life, know that Jesus is the Greatest Gift, and as you find your joy in Him, "the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:7).
Take a minute to think about this question: Are you waiting for life to happen or are you making life happen? Though you are called to wait on the Lord, you are not called to wait for life to happen to you. You are in control of the choices you make that will ultimately determine your destiny. On your way to making life happen, also know that you will end up frustrated, hurt, and disappointed if you wait on anyone other than God to complete your vision of life. You can be assured, however, that your heart, your emotions, your desires are safe when you hand them over and place them in the hands of the Most High God who holds your very own heart. As you surrender and tell the Lord, "Yes, Jesus, take my life and let it be everything you made it to be," you can be confident that you will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living (Psalm 27:13)!
In my years and decades of waiting for certain promises to come to pass, I have come to understand that God doesn’t have me wait to torture me or deny my heart’s desires, He allows this season because it’s making me stronger and more dependent on Him to fulfill all of His dreams for my life. I remember that time is never lost when I am waiting on my God. I’d rather be considered late according to the world’s standards, but right on time according to God’s schedule. He is never late, never early. He's always right on time!
Though I am content in my season of waiting, I am still contending.
Though I am grateful, I am still believing for greater things.
Though I am anchored in hope, I am still hoping for things yet to be seen.
His Word says that no good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly (Psalm 84:11), which tells me that if I didn’t receive what I wanted, it was either not good or not good for me. I trust that the Lord can and will do exceedingly abundantly above all I can ever ask, dream, or imagine (Ephesians 3:20). And I must rest in the promise that God is not a man that He should lie (Numbers 23:19) but a faithful deliverer of all of His promises.
Love & Blessings,
Natalia Maranian
For more details about how to make the most of your waiting season, watch The Elena & Natalia Show below for Part 1 and Part 2 of our “Weight of the Wait” series!