Embrace The Wait

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.

Grow Roots

Chinese bamboo is quite peculiar and mighty neat, if you ask me. When a farmer plants bamboo, he provides sunlight and water consistently. A single cane grows for six to eight weeks and then stops growing. Then, for a whole year the farmer waters the plant with care, even though nothing more has shown on the plant. The second year a few new shoots will show up, while the farmer continues to water the plant. After another six to eight weeks, these shoots stop growing as well. A third year and a fourth year may pass without significant growth in the bamboo grove. But by the fifth year, new bamboo canes shoot up high in the sky and grow up to eighty feet tall in a matter of a few short weeks. During those four years where the farmer consistently cared for the bamboo, even though growth on the surface seemed slow, roots were growing strong beneath the soil in order to hold up the plant when difficult times came.

Sometimes our constant dedication to God can seem useless and unproductive because we cannot see the product we are looking forward to or working toward. But do not stop trusting in the Lord in this season of waiting—He is using it to help you put down roots. He tells us, “But those who wait for the Lord [who expect, look for, and hope in Him] will gain new strength and renew their power; they will lift up their wings [and rise up close to God] like eagles [rising toward the sun]; they will run and not become weary, they will walk and not grow tired” (Isaiah 40:31, AMP). He has not forgotten, and His Word does not return to Him until fulfilling the purpose for which He sent it (Isaiah 55:11). Not a single word from God will fail us (Luke 1:37).

Trust God’s Promises

Anyone can wait, but the posture of our hearts while we wait reveals whether or not we have patience. Patient people rejoice in the wait because they trust that the Lord’s promises will faithfully come to full fruition in His perfect timing. The beauty of waiting is in knowing what God is orchestrating within us as we wait. We can be still and not fear, be strong, take heart, and wait for the Lord because He has made everything beautiful in its own time (Psalm 27:14; Ecclesiastes 3:11). God’s timing is much different than ours, and this kind of different brings a lot of joy because He holds time in His hands. He just needs you to trust that He has you embraced in the security of His righteous wings and that He is deepening roots of His heart within you while you wait.

Do not miss this priceless opportunity for growth in the midst of waiting. Yes, the outcome of waiting and trusting is going to be outstanding and simply stunning, but what is cool is the flourishing gladness that God wants to grow from within you during this season right now. He wants to do something powerful while you wait.

Rejoice in Waiting

God hears you. He has gone before you and has been faithful and is leading you on the path that is best for His name’s sake. In this season of waiting, He is building you up to become all that He made you originally to be. You may be in the first year or the fourth year, but be excited and expectant because God has you exactly where you need to be, and this is a reason to rejoice. God is sovereign in His timing, and He is not going to give you something that you are not yet ready to receive. He only wants you to have the best, and He knows that if you were to enter a season you are waiting for right now, you would be hurt because it simply isn’t time. He is a good Father.

Seek God wholeheartedly and fear the Lord, for those who fear God and seek Him wholeheartedly lack no good thing (Psalm 34:9-10). Through the constant watering and sunlight and endurance that comes with waiting, God is right there with you and wants to show you the beauty in it. You will be amazed when you look back and see that because you were faithful in waiting, God has blown you away with blessings beyond your imagination that are better than anything you could have planned on paper. Jeremiah said, “The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him” (Lamentations 3:24). What a sweet and satisfying place to be—so fully content in who God is and who you are in Him that there is hope in the times of waiting.