Work the Wait

Work the Wait
How I make the most of God's delays
Stephanie Voiland

When will I get my turn to hang a white dress in my closet?" I mumbled as I hung up myfourth bridesmaid dress last summer. A single 29-year-old, I'd watched friend after friendjoin the ranks of "Mrs."; I couldn't help but wonder, How much longer, God?
As I contemplated my life's many delays, I realized I don't like waiting—and I'm not verygood at it. But I wanted to grow during my waiting seasons rather than become bitter orlose faith. So I asked God to show me how he's working through these divine delays.

Reminders of Redemption
Sometimes, a wait seems to have no apparent reason. The delay is simply the product ofa sin-ravaged world.
My friend Tiffanie, after finishing grad school, spent months searching for a job. As leadsfailed to pan out into paychecks, she became discouraged.
Yet, much to my admiration, Tiffanie refused to anesthetize the waiting ache. For threemonths, she fasted from TV because she believed God had "given me the time (whether Iasked for it or not) to reflect on what I have and where I'm headed."
Throughout those agonizing months, God showed up in ways more profound than a joboffer. She was looking for a way to support herself; God taught her a new level ofdependence on him. She was desperately waiting for a potential employer's phone call;instead, God spoke into her soul's quiet places. She was searching for a genie-god toprovide instantly for her needs; God blew her away by revealing he's much better andbigger than she'd ever dreamed.
Strangely, it's in the bleakest waiting moments that God's interventionmanifests itself most clearly.
Eventually, Tiffanie landed a job, and she was grateful for the answered prayer. But shewas even more grateful to learn God meets us through the waiting journey in waysbeyond those originally asked or imagined. And he lovingly reminds us he can redeemany situation.

The Timing of Trust
Strangely, it's in the bleakest waiting moments that God's intervention manifests itselfmost clearly. Sometimes, those miracles are glamorous. We receive the perfect job, thephysical healing, the necessary funds—and the wait is over.But other times, God does the miracle in us.
Not long ago, as I was sitting down to dinner with my parents, they received a phone callfrom a hospital: "Your son's been in an accident. … Can't give details. … Come as soon as you can. … " In a trance, I stumbled to the car with my parents and sister. Those twohours on the way to the hospital were the longest of my life. I wish my immediatereaction had been peace, communion with God, or some other super-spiritualphenomenon. But the feeling in my gut was more like numbness and nausea. My mindchurned with questions: Is he going to survive? Will he walk again? Waiting for detailsunknown and out of my control was terrifying.
Somewhere between my parents' home and the hospital, however, a remarkable thinghappened. Ever so subtly in that night's uncertainty, the Holy Spirit crept into mypersonal waiting room. I was still terrified. But underneath that layer of fear, I foundmyself standing on an infinitely solid truth, one no car accident could steal. I didn't knowwhat we'd find when we arrived at the hospital. But I knew whatever it was, God wouldstill be God.
My circumstances hadn't changed. Yet in the midst of waiting, I'd learned a new kind oftrust. And this learning, in itself, was almost like a miracle.
Thankfully, my brother walked out of the hospital a week later with merely a row ofstitches above one eye and a scar over his left lung. I walked away with a freshperspective on what it means to trust God without knowing the outcome. Waitingseasons are still painful. But deep within me, God is at work, assuring me he won't wastemy heartaches. That even if he doesn't make my situations better, he'll somehow makeme better through them.

A Compassionate Presence
Often a wait seems long when life doesn't unfold according to our agendas. Butsometimes God has amazing reasons for a delay.
I learned that great lesson about waiting from the story of Lazarus's resurrection ().Jesus was good friends with Lazarus and his sisters, Martha and Mary. Christ evencrashed at their place occasionally. So surely when he heard Lazarus was ill, he'd rush tohis side and heal him! Instead, we read this haunting sentence: "Although Jesus lovedMartha, Mary and Lazarus, he stayed where he was for the next two days" (verses 5–6).My knee-jerk reaction is to cry, "Hello! Why were you waiting? That's not love!" Marthaand Mary were slightly more diplomatic, but they expressed the same sentiment: "Lord,if only you had been here" (verses 21 and 32).
With our limited vision, Mary, Martha, and I couldn't see God sometimes doesn't give uswhat we request so he can give us something better. Jesus said the death of Lazarus"happened for the glory of God so that the Son of God will receive glory for this" (verse4). Granted, a healing would have been amazing. But Jesus had a bigger plan thatcouldn't occur without Lazarus's time in the grave.
While waiting for this plan to unfold, Mary and Martha must have taken comfort in onesmall action of Jesus. It would have been easy to miss, since it fell somewhere betweentheir initial grief and Jesus' most astounding miracle. The moment is easy for us tooverlook too, since it's recorded in the Bible's shortest verse: "Jesus wept" (verse 35).He hurt because he saw Mary and Martha's pain.
He doesn't orchestrate broken bodies and hearts as some sort of spiritual boot camp,while he stands aloof shouting orders. He doesn't insist we get over our waiting ache.Rather, he aches and walks with us to help us navigate our fractured world.
The flesh-and-blood God, who shed real tears, was with Mary and Martha. And when wefeel alone in our wait, he promises the same: "Never will I leave you; never will I forsakeyou" ().


I’d still like a white dress to hang in my closet someday—preferably someday soon. Butnow as I wait, I'm careful not merely to mark time, so preoccupied with what's next thatI miss out on what's now. I'm striving to wait well. And part of waiting well, I've learned,is being open to God's lessons about redemption, trust, compassion, and his higherpurposes along the way.
Until I see God face-to-face, I'll always wait for something. Or rather, Someone. And as Ilong for earthly things, I'll allow them to point me to the deepest longing in my soul. He'sthe One I await.

Copyright © 2008 by the author or Christianity Today International/Today's Christian Woman magazine.