Patience and Waiting

Patience....something I have little of, but have wanted more of it for years.  I am one of the most impatient people I know.  When it comes to several things in life I hate to wait.  I don't have the patience to wait.  This is something I have struggled with my entire life.  I remember praying several times for God to help me with my patience.  I recently finished the book A Graceful Waiting by Jan Frank.  It talks about all of the stages of waiting and how God is transforming you as in this waiting season.

What is the point of worrying during a waiting season?  What is the point of complaining about it?  God already knows when your waiting will be over.  He knows what the outcome will be.  While in a season of waiting (no matter how long or short), I am trying to teach myself to thank God for all that He has already done for me and all that He has already given me, rather than be upset over something that is currently out of reach. This is much harder said than done, but I am trying to move towards this.

This book opened my mind to waiting.  It made me rethink the way I react when I am in the midst of a season of waiting.  God is always in control, even when I can't control the situation.  Here is a quote from A Graceful Waiting.  "He (God) wants your waiting times to be growing times...  He wants you to be still and know the his in control.  He is never late." Wow....when in a season of waiting it is soo easy to make my prayers about what I want and how I want it now.  Being reminded that God knows what He is doing and that He is NEVER late is refreshing.  It doesn't mean that I am not going to be frustrated by the season of waiting I am in, but it helps to remind myself of this when I feel down or upset about having to wait.

A few more quotes from A Graceful Waiting:

"I love you both by the things I give and the things I withold."

"Waiting means hoping: not taking up a vaguely hopeful optimistic approach to life, but looking expectantly for specific events which there is reason for believing will materialize."

Isaiah 40:31 says:
but those who hope in the LORD
   will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
   they will run and not grow weary,
   they will walk and not be faint.

 Lamentations 3:25 says:
he LORD is good to those who wait for Him,
To the person who seeks Him


This book is a must read, even if you are not currently in a season of waiting.  It is a great reminder to how God loves us and how He is working in our lives even when we can't see it.