Photo by Dmitry Bukhantsov on Unsplash
Waiting... I’m not sure how many of us actually like to wait. We live in a world where impatience is becoming the norm. With endless information at our fingertips, next-day Amazon deliveries, instant messages, and drive-thru dinners in minutes, technology has offered us convenience but has also shaped us into a society increasingly unwilling to wait.
As a Christian, I’ve noticed how this can affect my spiritual life, too. There are times I’ve grown impatient waiting for God to answer a prayer. The longer the wait, the more frustration sets in. As the world has shifted to delivering our wants and desires instantly, it’s easy to start expecting the same from God.
The Lord reminded me of the Upper Room.
"Jesus said, “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days, you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” — Acts 1:4-5"
Here, Jesus gave specific instructions to wait for God’s promised gift, following with “in a few days.”
There wasn’t a specific time, only an estimate. I can imagine those first few days filled with excitement, yet as time passed, that excitement may have turned to questions or even doubt. I wonder what it felt like to remain in the Upper Room, waiting as the days went by.
I’ve been in situations like this, praying for something with excitement and expectation. But as days turn to weeks, weeks to months, and months to years and not seeing the answer, I can become frustrated and impatient, wondering, “God, where are you?”
Sometimes, my impatience leads me to try handling things on my own—and that rarely ends well. I imagine those 120 people in the Upper Room felt the same temptation. What if, in their impatience, they had left? They would have missed a miracle, the fulfillment of God’s promise, and receiving the power and authority of the Holy Spirit—all because they chose not to wait.
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” — Acts 1:8
Waiting on the Lord isn’t easy; it can be challenging in a world that relies on instant results. We’re often tempted to take matters into our own hands, but in doing so, we risk missing the miracles happening around us and the chance to witness God’s promises fulfilled.
Over the years, God has taught me patience, though it hasn’t come easily. I’ve learned to yield to Him and listen when He instructs me to be still. A few years ago, Charles was hospitalized for a four-day stay. Within a week of his discharge, we received a letter from our insurance company stating they wouldn’t cover his stay, claiming his diagnosis didn’t warrant hospitalization. When I read that letter, my heart sank. All I could think about was being responsible for a $40,000–$50,000 hospital bill.
I called the insurance company as soon as I got home, angry, frustrated, and eventually breaking down in tears on the phone with Customer Service. I had decided to fix this myself.
After the call, I phoned Charles, who calmly told me, “Don’t worry about it.” I thought, “Easy for him to say!” But shortly after we hung up, I heard the Holy Spirit say, “Be still.” Right then, I chose to turn it over to God. I didn’t make any more calls to the insurance company—we waited. And God came through. The insurance ended up covering the entire stay, and we only paid a small fraction of the cost.
Looking back, I believe that if I’d continued down the path to “fix it myself,” we might have paid much more. By waiting, we witnessed the miracle of God working for our good and fulfilling His promise to care for us and our needs.
If you’re going through a season of waiting, I encourage you not to give up. God has a miracle in store for you and a promise to fulfill. Waiting can bring a flood of emotions, but don’t let impatience keep you from receiving the gift God has prepared for you. Be still and wait upon the Lord.
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