When You Are Tired of Waiting

The word “wait” was appearing in scripture again when I honestly didn’t want to wait again. I was tired of waiting. I felt worn out, frustrated, and disappointed from all the waiting for unpleasant and uncomfortable things to change in my life. My life was totally off the rails of any plans I had wished for, and I couldn’t see any hope for change as far as my eyes could see.

So, I allowed my tears to fall and boldly cried out to God in prayer, “What does it truly mean to wait on You? What will it mean for me if I do?”

In a moment when I honestly felt I couldn’t possibly take one more step and was hanging on by a thread, it was the only prayer I could muster up. The sum of my honest emotions lay sprawled out on the floor of my heart in all their unsightly glory. I knew it wasn’t pretty, but God already knew how I felt. None of it took Him by surprise. 

Amazingly, God hears even messy prayers like these.

Even more remarkable is that He answers them as consciously as if we had typed out a beautiful prayer that was flawlessly edited and prepared to hit the shelves in a best-selling book. 

Just imagine God hearing even our messy, tear-stained cries for help. Even when we have it all together and are wrestling to understand, He still loves us as His children and is long-suffering and patient. He isn’t standing over us to scold us but to love and comfort us when the world feels like a cold and lonely place when we don’t have it and don’t want to try anymore. 

After my meltdown with God, I returned to the wait scripture again. This time, I read it slowly and let it sink into the depths of my heart where I needed it to. 

“But I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation. My God will hear me.”  Micah 7:7 (CSB)

He did hear my cries for help and answered in His timing. He didn’t wave a magic wand and make all my hard things disappear, but He comforted me and gave me peace until they did. 

He also shed some light on waiting. So, what does it mean for us to wait on the Lord?  What has He promised us when we do? 

1. We will renew our strength. (Isaiah 40:31)
2. We will find Him gracious. (Isaiah 30:18)
3. He will show us mercy. (Isaiah 30:18)
4. We will be exalted. (Psalm 37:34)

I admit waiting will probably never be my favorite thing, but I can wait well because of the One who waits with me—holding me, comforting me, letting me cry, and then lacing up my shoes to go another mile. He will walk out each step by my side until I behold His face one day and never wait anymore.