by Marcie Hefner from Family Life

"Waiting on Him shows others where we place our hope" (Psalm 39:7).

"Wait" is a word I have always despised. This was the word often spoken when I wanted a chocolate chip cookie right before my family was going to eat dinner or when I asked my parents to drop whatever important task they were finishing in order to come read me a story. "Wait" is the word that pops into my mind in the grocery store when I am standing behind someone with 20 items and we are in the lane that boldly states, "Limit 15 Items." This four-letter word is shouted loudly and yet silently when my plane is delayed, when I discover I have driven only one-fourth of a 600-mile car trip, and when Christmas vacation is still a few weeks away.

The command to wait becomes even more difficult as the issues grow more serious. The hours creep by as we wait for test results, endure a job that is far from perfect, wonder who we will marry or if we will marry, and attempt to discern God's will concerning a major decision. It is true that we live in a "now" generation and it is easy to expect results immediately. However, history continually illustrates that God has a sovereign plan, which He works according to His timetable, not ours. And that plan often calls us to "wait."

Abraham was 100 years old before he received the son God had promised him.

Moses spent 40 years in the wilderness before God called him to free the Israelites from their captivity in Egypt.

Noah spent 120 years building the ark before it was completed.

William Carey, missionary to India, and Robert Morrison, first Protestant missionary to China, both labored for seven years before they saw their first convert.

Elizabeth Elliot, a famous author, waited more than six years for the Lord to bring her and Jim, a slain missionary, together in marriage.

Jesus Christ waited 30 years before His baptism and the start of His earthly ministry.

"Wait" is a word I am slowly beginning to adore. I am learning that God never wastes time. He is continually at work. What we may see as wasted days, months, or even years, He views as time spent molding us into the image of His Son. There are so many aspects of His character that can be better grasped in times of waiting and there are numerous ways He uses the "pauses" of life to deepen our walk with Him.

Used by permission from Family Life