Encouragement in the Waiting Rooms of Life

By nature, I’m not a patient person. You can just ask my husband. If the world operated in Kristen time, there would be immediate results to all our efforts, quick answers to prayer, and a tidy answer for every question.

As convenient as Kristen time would be, I’m grudgingly grateful the world doesn’t work on my schedule. If it did, I would have no need to lean into prayer more, depend on Jesus, search His Word for guidance, and stretch my faith. I truly believe those are all reasons God chooses to make us wait and that He does so for our good.

Back in January, I listened to an episode of Sadie Robertson’s Whoa That’s Good Podcast where she interviewed Christian artist Tauren Wells. One statement he made has stuck with me for the last few months: “Good things take time.”

This statement is so true, and often, the outcomes don’t match our expectations. I’m not going to pretend that waiting is easy. It’s more like excruciating. But today, let’s find encouragement in the waiting rooms of life.

A Promise for the Waiting

The Psalms are some of my go-to choices in the waiting seasons of my life, but there is one special promise in Isaiah 30:18 that also provides hope during the seeming silence that greets my prayers. “Therefore the Lord will wait, that He may be gracious to you; And therefore He will be exalted, that He may have mercy on you. For the Lord is a God of justice; Blessed are all those who wait for Him” (NKJV).

Wrap your mind around the idea that God waits so that He may be gracious–kind, loving, generous–to you! That idea contradicts logic, but I have found it to be true. Even when the waiting feels like anguish and makes you wonder if God isn’t listening or doesn’t care, He does. Yes, He does! Feel free to remind me of this fact every day for the rest of my life, because I’m going to need the reminder. And chances are, you will too.

An Example in the Waiting

In the Bible, Joseph’s story is one of my favorites. But if we could ask Joseph, he would probably say life didn’t go according to his plan.

At seventeen, he had not one, but two dreams that involved his family bowing down to him (Genesis 37). He was already his father’s favorite son, so no doubt, he anticipated a smooth ride to his elevated status.

He never imagined his brothers would sell him into slavery, that he would be slandered and cast into prison, or that he would spend several years in prison. (See Genesis 37, 39-41.) All of those hardships weren’t part of his plan, but they were part of God’s. Each step of his painful journey, God remained with him and showed him favor, even as a servant and a prisoner. Through each experience, God was preparing and positioning him to become the second in command of Egypt.

His story offers much comfort for our waiting-room experiences.

• God can bring about good from even the worst situation.
• He remains present even in our darkest times.
• God can give us favor with others even in unideal circumstances.
• Even when we feel completely stuck, we can remember that waiting-rooms are temporary places.

An Answer to the Waiting

Have you noticed that God’s eventual answers to our prayers and waiting seasons are usually different than what we expected? That’s been my experience.

After graduating college, I had this idealistic vision that I would land my dream job as a creative writer. Instead, I ended up in a technical writing field, in various capacities, for six years before God nudged me into teaching, something I said I would never do. Years later, I’m glad I said yes to His plans being different from mine.

I also thought I would meet and marry my husband probably in my mid twenties and that our relationship would look a certain way. Instead, God had me wait until I was thirty-one to meet my husband, and wow, he wasn’t what I expected! (For that matter, I wasn’t what he expected either.) But we will both tell you that we were just what the other needed, and God’s plan and timing were perfect.

After finishing my Rogues trilogy right before I got married (2019), I figured it would only be a year or less before I found the right publisher for my next books. Last month, I signed with Mountain Brook Ink for a series that will begin releasing in 2022. Again, this timeframe wasn’t my plan, but I am confident God’s plan is once again better. I am grateful for both my agent and new publisher who have affirmed this project in many ways. I can’t wait to share more about the project with you!

Guess what, though? I am still waiting for other answers to prayer. I think back to where I’ve been to remind myself–and hopefully encourage you–that you will one day have an answer to the wait. We just have to recognize God’s answers come in many forms.

An Assignment in the Waiting

Right now, if you’re in your own waiting room, look back and see how God has been faithful in the past. If you keep a prayer journal, read through your old entries and recognize all the blessings God has given you. You can trust Him for whatever lies ahead.

Trust me. I understand what desperately wanting something feels like, but we need to let our expectations take a backseat to God’s best. His plan might be uncomfortable, inconvenient, or even painful at times, but the wait has a purpose, if only to make us lean closer on Him. Regardless, He is always good.

~ Kristen