How Do I Wait: Panicked vs. Peaceful?

As the book of Acts opens, we see the disciples gathering together after the crucifixion of Jesus.  Jesus appears to them several times and gives them proof of His resurrection body.  Before His ascension into heaven, He instructs them not to leave Jerusalem but to wait for the Helper He has promised them, the Holy Spirit.  He doesn’t tell the disciples how long they must wait.  He doesn’t tell them why they must wait and He doesn’t even give them details about how they will recognize and know the Holy Spirit.  He just tells them to wait.

We don’t know if the disciples questioned Jesus, but every time I am faced with a wait, I am full of questions. I want to know how long I must wait, why I have to wait and how in the world I am going to know how to recognize the answer I am waiting for.  I can’t even tell you how many times those feelings have been present in my life.  I often find myself struggling through the waiting period.  How I long to be able to wait peacefully and with an expectation of what God will do rather than having a constant battle through the wait.  

Each time God asks me to wait, it as if I am violently treading water in the shallow end of the pool.  It isn’t pretty.  I spend my time worrying, trying to figure out the situation, and fretting over when and how it will all be answered. I panic: imagine arms flailing about and gasps for air while all along my feet are able to touch the bottom.  At every moment in the wait, I have the opportunity to put my feet on the bottom and rest by trusting in God’s timing for the wait and in God’s reason and purpose in the wait.

The Panicked Tread vs. The Peaceful Tread

The Panicked Tread

Pride: Often times of wait can reek of pride.  By struggling in the wait, we are saying that we don’t trust God.  His timing, His purpose, or His provision.  We are pridefully saying that we could do it better and faster.

Vain Imaginings: How I wish that I could have all the moments back I spent in vain imaginings and worry over situations.  You know what I mean, those minutes and HOURS that we let our minds dwell on situation trying to figure it all it.  I could probably add months or even years to my life. 

The Peaceful Tread

Expectantly: We need to be not only looking for an answer, but we need to be firm in our resolve that God will answer.  It may not be as quick as we wanted and it may not be the answer we want, but we should wait with an expectant heart and be content with whatever His will brings.  We also need to have our eyes open to see what God is trying to teach us about Himself in the wait.

Completely Surrendered: God wants our heart.  He wants our trust.  Often the lesson God wants us to learn is in the actual wait.  The wait itself may be the entire reason you are facing a particular situation.  God uses the waiting to prune away sin in our lives like the desire to be in control and manipulate the situation.  He uses the wait to capture our whole heart.  To trust Him fully.

Obediently: We can use Abraham as an example here.  His life was full of numerous examples of God giving him a direction and then he had to wait on God’s answer.  In Genesis 12, God told him to leave his family and all that was familiar and to go to another land.  It wasn’t until many years later that he saw the fulfillment of that promise.  He also had to take his only son Isaac and lay him on the altar as God had asked him to.  He did it.  He put him there and then he waited for God to answer.  He didn’t know how, but he trusted that God would answer.  In both of those examples, he was obedient.

Questions to Ponder:

How would you characterize your waiting experiences?  Peaceful or are they full of struggle?

What do you need to do in order to be more peaceful in your waiting periods?