Is God Making Me Wait for a Reason?
By Jessica Brodie
The dog was driving me absolutely bonkers—nipping the back of my knees when I walked away, barking when the neighbor’s car cruised by, knocking every bit of food from his bowl. When he started chasing the cat across our living room couch, I’d had enough.
“Captain, stop!” I roared.
All I got was a raised doggy-eyebrow in response.
It was time for the crate—and a nap.
An hour or so later, my German Shepherd puppy was fine. A nap was exactly what he’d needed.
Later, as we sat companionably in the afternoon sun, I stroked his soft fur and realized that nap had, essentially, been a timeout, a forced waiting period, a needed pause.
And it hit me that sometimes that’s exactly what I need too, not just when I’m cranky and “acting up,” but perhaps other reasons. Reasons I can’t see.
Reasons only God can see.
We often lament “waiting period” times in our lives, those times when we want something—a romantic partner, a certain job, a fantastic trip, an achievement—and God doesn’t grant what we request. We don’t get our way, and like a rambunctious puppy, we gallop around the proverbial house, throwing our grownup temper tantrum. We want it, and we want it NOW. But God, in God’s all-knowing reasoning, said “Wait.”
And so what else can we do but wait?
We have plenty of examples of people in the Bible who waited on God, and for good reason. Abraham waited for a son through his wife, Sarah, and late in their life, when they were old, God granted this miracle (Genesis 21-22).
Joseph, the favorite son of Jacob, was sold into slavery and had to wait many years for the fulfillment of his dreams. He struggled, worked hard, even got thrown into jail at one point, but his faith and devotion to God paid off. Eventually, he was made second-in-command of all Egypt and ended up saving the lives of his entire family and many others (Genesis 37-50).
David, the simple shepherd, was anointed by God as king but had to wait many years for the old, corrupt king Saul to die and for David’s rule to come to fruition (1 Samuel 16:13-2 Samuel 2).
Even Jesus, the Son of God, didn’t begin his ministry until he was 30 years of age (Luke 3:23).
Sometimes, we don’t want to wait. God has given us a glimpse of what He has in store for us, and we are eager to go, do, be, whatever it is, right this instant! But it is good to wait. God has a timing all His own, and when we orchestrate things our way instead of waiting on Him, we mess up the intricate, beautiful details just waiting to unfold.
Just like a ripe apple is so much sweeter to eat when it’s ready, so too is God’s plan when it occurs within His perfect time.
I love the verse from Micah 7:7, “But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me” (NIV).
Consider today whether God is making you wait for a reason. Maybe He’s preparing your heart, or someone else’s. Maybe He’s orchestrating the exact, perfect details so the thing planned will be better than we can possibly imagine. Maybe we’re not ready yet. Maybe he’s trying to prevent a disaster caused by the rushing.
Wait. Breathe. Imagine you are in your very own time-out crate like my wild-eyed five-month-old German Shepherd puppy, in desperate need of a forced nap so you can wake up to a smooth, peaceful, better existence.
If God is making you wait, trust that it is for a good reason.
