There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.
(Ecclesiastes 3:1, NIV)
We live in a culture that demands instant gratification. We want what we want and we want it now! But God is never in a hurry.
The prophet Jeremiah wrote, “The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD” (Lamentations 3:25–26, NIV). Is your hope centered in God as you patiently wait for him to rescue you from your current situation?
Waiting is difficult, especially when we see others taking shortcuts to achieve what we desire. But King David reminds us to, “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes” (Psalm 37:7, NIV).
When we get what we want prematurely, we shortchange ourselves. It may not be apparent right away, but time always reveals the consequences of impatience.
God is in complete control of everything. Any delays are not because he isn’t able to make things happen faster. Rather, he has more he wants to accomplish in us and through us during a slower, more deliberate journey to the ultimate destination.
God sees everything that concerns us and has a complete view of our future. With our limited foresight, we can only base our judgments and decisions on what we know presently. Our assumptions about the future are only our best guesses. But God knows about the major changes that are coming around the next bend. Our faithful and loving God is more committed to our long-term happiness and well-being than to our immediate pleas for what we want right now. Because of our impatience, all too often we are willing to settle for something or someone that we know is less than ideal. But when we have accepted God as our guide, he steps in and stops us from trading away the far better future he has planned for us.
“You have a time-table, and God has a timetable. His is better than yours.”
— Criswell Freeman
To be impatient with God’s timing is to question his ability, goodness, and love for us. Psalm 27:14 tells us, “Wait patiently for the LORD. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the LORD.” Best is always worth the wait.