When you were growing up, did you hate waiting as much as I did? I still get a little agitated if a wait is too long, but I remember when I was younger, waiting felt like the worst punishment there was. Don’t even get me started on waiting for things I really, really wanted. It seems like the more I wanted something, the more exhausting and frustrating the wait was.
I’m not a little kid waiting for a promised ice cream cone anymore, but I’m still impatient. I still get fixated on things and obsess over the length of time it’s taking to receive them. Getting married hasn’t been much different. Ten years ago, I was sure I would be married by 22. I remember hitting birthday after birthday and recognizing I didn’t seem any closer to marriage. Guys weren’t asking me on dates or expressing feelings they had for me. Throughout the years, as I waited, I can honestly say I probably looked a lot more like the three-year-old version of myself than the twenty-something version of myself.
In most cases, in order to get married, you have to date. When you’re not dating, you can feel like you’re not getting any closer to the end goal of being married in the (somewhat) near future. I remember feeling like I was so behind because I was in my mid-twenties and I had never been on a date or had a boyfriend.
I want to say something bold regarding this though—it’s better to wait.
I think often about Abraham and Sarah as they waited for their promised child, Isaac. While this Scripture isn’t specifically about dating, the principle is one to highlight. Abraham was told by God in Genesis 15 that he was going to have a son as his heir. The problem was that, up to this point, Sarah had been unable to have children.
In Genesis 16, Sarah proposes that their child could come from her servant, Hagar. So, after hearing this, Abraham agrees and ends up having a son named Ishmael with Hagar. Not shockingly, Abraham and Sarah weren’t correct in their assessment of what God meant about their heir. In Genesis 17:19, here’s what we read: “But God replied, ‘No—Sarah, your wife, will give birth to a son for you. You will name him Isaac, and I will confirm My covenant with him and his descendants as an everlasting covenant” (NLT).
We can get to a point in waiting where we try to rationalize and figure out what God is doing. Then we take matters into our own hands, like Abraham and Sarah. In my own life, specifically regarding dating, this became a cause of more trouble than I was anticipating. It brought the worst heartache I had ever experienced. When I look back, I know it would have been better to wait and trust when I was a little bit antsy.
If you have a story like this, I want to encourage you that God is in the business of redemption. He is rich in mercy and grace. When we return to Him and confess our unfaithfulness and sin, He is faithful to forgive us.
James 4:6-7 says, “And He gives grace generously. As the Scriptures say, ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’ So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (NLT).
Even when we rush ahead and take things into our own hands, He is still a faithful God who takes those things and uses them for a greater purpose, just like Romans 8:28 encourages us. This can look different for us all. What I’m assured of is that there is nothing wasted when it comes to the Lord. So, if you have done things you regret that grieve your heart, run to Him! Run to Jesus and let Him bring healing to all the places that are broken. He will do it.
If you’re still waiting but feeling weary or hopeless, let God show up. Let God bring more to your life than you could have ever expected. If you made a commitment to wait for God’s best, keep waiting and let God renew your heart and mind through this. God is near to those who call on Him and He is quick to save us when we ask Him to.
A Prayer for Trusting God in the Waiting
Heavenly Father, please help me to trust You as I wait. I want to see Your purpose and Your plan come to pass in my life. When I’m tempted to rationalize and figure out what the next step is, remind me that You are my Shepherd. Thank You for the truth of Your Word that You guide me along the best path for my life and I can trust You. Continue to help me see this and cling to this in all that I face. In Jesus’ name, amen.
