Fuel Up with Prayer: Waiting is not Wasted Time
Ready:
“I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope.”
Psalm 130:5
SET:
The wait is over.
The Summer Olympics, which happens every four years, is back once again, with Paris as the host nation.
The world eagerly anticipates this celebrated global sporting event, showcasing a variety of sports at their highest levels.
Was the wait worth it?
Was the wait wasted time?
One thing is certain for the athletes: it was a time of consistent and committed practice, a time of intense and purposeful preparation, a time of patient anticipation, and living out dreams and hopes.
It was not wasted time.
It was a well-invested time, patiently enduring and expectantly looking forward to a merge of passion and excellence with the best in the world.
Do you remember USA’s Simone Biles, who withdrew from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics because of mental health issues?
I recall reading her statement: “We have to protect our minds and bodies and not just go out there and do what the world wants us to do!”
She did what she needed to do at that moment, stepped away from four years of active waiting, and stepped into another four years for the Paris Olympics 2024.
Eight years of one’s life dedicated to using the gifts God has given her in gymnastics.
Was the wait worth it or was it wasted time?
I guess only Biles can answer that for herself at the end of it all.
Not many of us like to wait; in fact, many hate it and see it as a waste of time.
However, when it comes to waiting for something of value that outweighs the waiting time, it might attract some.
Have you been waiting upon the Lord for a decision to be made, or has the Lord given you a dream or vision that requires you to wait and seek His face?
Sometimes it takes days, weeks, or even years before that incubation period is over.
It resembles the journey of a pregnant mother from conception to birth.
There is a longing from the mother to see the newborn face to face for the first time.
The nine months of waiting is purposefully crafted by God for both the infant and the parents.
It is not an easy wait.
There are inconveniences, discomforts, changes to the body and lifestyle, mental and emotional battles, and much more.
Maybe you are in this incubation period right now—job transitions, injuries turmoil, awaiting for the return of prodigal sons and daughters, preparation for competition, stepping into a full-time call to missions, etc.—and there is that longing to see what the Lord has spoken come to pass or to receive that answered prayer.
Do not be discouraged or despair if the wait seems longer than you thought.
God knows and He is preparing you.
Many times, the process of waiting is more important to God than the product of the answer we are seeking.
In such times, be fuelled with prayer.
God desires our connection, communion, and a compelling passion to come before Him, to trust Him, and to believe that what He said will come to pass. God is moulding us to learn how to be still (Psalm 62:5), be patient (Psalm 37:7), and be expectant (Psalm 130:5) while we wait. Until the wait is over, let us declare, “Great is His faithfulness in our lives,” Amen?
“So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.”
Isaiah 55:11
I love how the Message Bible phrases Psalm 130:5: “I pray to God—my life a prayer—and wait for what He’ll say and do.”
May our lives not just be fuelled with prayers but be a prayer, in good times, bad times, and especially waiting times.
Remember, waiting is not wasted time.
Treasure it and journey with God.
Go:
- How have you viewed ‘waiting upon the Lord’ before this? How has the experience been?
- Are you in a season of waiting? What do you think God is trying to say to you or teach you?
- Ask the Lord to reveal how you can grow in your prayer life through seasons of waiting.
- Which of these three areas do you sense the Holy Spirit is leading you to grow in:
- Wait quietly in stillness
- Wait with patient endurance
- Wait expectantly in hope
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