The Bible is full of stories of people who found themselves in a season of waiting. Some were actively waiting. Noah built the ark according to God’s specific instructions while waiting for the first raindrop to fall. Abram gathered his wife Sarai and his livestock and began walking as they waited for the Lord to tell them the destination He had for them. Years later, Abraham (renamed by God) built an altar to the Lord while he waited for God to provide the sacrifice instead of his son, Isaac.
Other stories tell of people who waited passively. For example, Simeon spent his entire life “eagerly waiting for the Messiah to come and rescue Israel” (Luke 2:25 NLT). “The Holy Spirit was upon him and revealed to him that he would not die until he had seen the Lord’s Messiah” (Luke 2:25b-26 NLT). After seeing the infant Jesus in the temple and speaking prophecy over Jesus aloud, Simeon asked the Lord to please let him die in peace.
Of course, we all know the story of Zacchaeus, who climbed high into a sycamore tree and waited just for a chance to see Jesus with his own eyes.
Regardless of the circumstances and whether or not the person was busy in their waiting, they all had great faith in knowing that God had a purpose and that their waiting would not be in vain. It’s also worth noting that each story had a personal reward for waiting patiently on the Lord.
However, there was also a much greater lesson to be gleaned, as thousands of years later, people all over the world are still retelling these stories. God is still using them to grow our faith in Him. With the exception of maybe Simeon, I can’t imagine that any of those people ever thought their lives, struggles, and times of waiting would be known throughout the world and history from that time forward.
We all find ourselves in periods of waiting, don’t we? It may not be nearly as dramatic as the Biblical stories referenced above, but be assured that if you are a follower of Christ, you are not alone while you wait. Maybe God is putting things into place for that new job, that new house, the growth of your family. Maybe God is giving you a specific task to complete before He shows you the next step in His plan for your life.
And maybe, God knows you need some quiet time to rest and grow deeper in your relationship with Him. But no matter what, know there IS a purpose in the waiting! How you handle your waiting period can bring about a personal blessing from the Lord and help deepen the faith of others as they watch your story unfold.
Hester is a wife, mother of three, teacher, and children’s church director. She also enjoys traveling with her family, working in her garden, and reading in her spare time.