Have you ever gotten sick and tired of waiting for something? I can be a very impatient person, so much so that my dad nicknamed me “patience” growing up because he wanted patience manifest in my life. I hate going to places that I would have to wait for hours to get what I want. So places like auto shops, salons, car wash, and even doctor’s offices, anything that requires me to wait, count me out of it.
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I honestly don’t know why, but lack of patience is typical human nature, for you to become a very patient person, you have to work at it. There are things that we desire from God, which will require our ability to wait for it. Patience is one of the characteristics God seeks to develop in us. God is the most patient person that there is, if not, none of us wouldn’t be on this planet.
You can imagine how patient he was with you, when you were busy doing your own thing; living it up in the streets, and yet, he waited, patiently like the Father of the prodigal son, looking out for his child to return, not sure of when exactly, but knowing that it would surely happen, and one day you came to your senses and ran home. God wants us to have that same kind of patience when it comes to waiting for something to unfold in our lives.
“But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” James 1:4
Be Anxious for Nothing
God doesn’t want us to lack anything, not even patience. He wants us to rest in him, knowing that he can provide anything and everything that we will ever need. He doesn’t want us to worry, or to lose sleep, because he has already perfected it. I can remember one time when I realized Shein (a Chinese store) actually shipped to Nigeria and I was so excited (hello shopaholic!), I immediately took to shopping, and their estimated delivery time for standard shipping was 8-28 business days and for expedited shipping was 8-20 business days (can you imagine?) So I ordered my stuff and chose the standard shipping option, because there was basically no difference between both options, for me to pay extra money.
I kept on tracking my order for 3 weeks straight thinking and hoping that the things will come at least in 8 days, and it was still in China after 3 weeks. I was so anxious for the things to get here because it was my first time trying online shopping in Nigeria. But those things did not land until about 28-30 days later. Thank God they got here. Now the next time I decided to order things from them, I just removed my mind from it, thinking that it will take that amount of time as well.
I ordered my stuff and made up my mind that I would track the items about 2 weeks after the order was placed, and forgot about it. Exactly one week after I shopped online, I got a call from the post office in Nigeria to come pick up my stuff. Although they had given me the same time estimate for delivery, the things came super early! The difference between both times was that the second time around, I wasn’t anxious. I was just confident that my things would come and didn’t put any unnecessary pressure on the timeline, and they came when I least expected it.
When you become less anxious about the things you want to receive in your life, that is when they begin to show up, because God doesn’t want us to be slaves to anything, not even our desires. So what is that thing you are trusting God for? The period from when you got that promise from God to the time you will actually receive it, is the wait, and that is where a lot of us fall off, lose hope, lose faith, doubt the promise, doubt the one who promised, ask ourselves all sorts of questions like-did I really hear right? Did God really say? Am I stupid for believing this stuff?
Give Thanks
Whatever we choose to do in that period of waiting, determines if we will receive the promise from God or not. Hebrews 6:12 says for us to imitate those who through faith and patience inherited the promise. We have to have faith, patience and a good attitude while we wait. Sometimes doubt creeps in, and I know this first hand because I am struggling with that now, but I constantly have to remind myself about who God is, what he has done, and how much he loves me, not putting my trust in what the promise is, but who the promise maker is.
When your Spirit is down and out, encourage yourself in the Lord, give Him praise, thank him for what he has done and what he is doing. Judge him faithful. The Bible says Sarah judged God faithful. Mary also believed when the angel spoke to her, and the angel said back to her-“blessed is she who believes, and there shall be a demonstration of the things that were told to her from the Lord.” You have to believe, even when it doesn’t look like it, because we walk by faith and not by sight. We have to have blind faith, trusting fully in the one who made the promise and not concern ourselves about how he is going to perform it, that is his specialty.
God wants us to trust him as children trust adults. It is all so fascinating to me; maybe I’m weird or just think about crazy things. Have you ever wondered why when a child (0-2) needs something, that they turn to an adult for help? It blows my mind. Like how do they know an adult can help? How do they know the adult has the answer to their problem? If they want to be carried or are hungry or need to use the bathroom, they don’t turn to their fellow baby or toddler, they look out for the nearest adult and reach out!
God wants us to be that way with him. He doesn’t want us to go and meet our peers with our issues first or run around before we realize “oh snap! There is a God out there who can help me.” Even if you are struggling with the promise he gave you and how it will come to pass, he wants us to still turn to him. He is the author and the finisher of our faith, so he knows what direction to stir us in. Trust God, wait on him, praise him while you wait, remind him of his faithfulness, and watch God come through for you, time & time, and again.
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About The Author: Evi Idoghor is a Christian, writer, and content creator on Letstalknationblog.com. She is a chemical engineering graduate from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Consumed by her love for writing and desire to effect change, she launched her online platform––Let’s Talk Nation––to tap into her creativity and start meaningful conversations that would make a difference around the world.
Most of her writing has been influenced by her time spent in America, where she lived for about 11 years. Also, she lived in Nigeria and South Korea and currently loves traveling the world while learning about other fascinating cultures. You can find her on all social media platforms with @eviidoghor.