I Want it Now!

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Read Proverbs 16:9

Why does waiting seem to be so hard for us? We tend to see waiting as an idle or pointless delay in our plans, hopes and dreams. But what if there is purpose to it? What if I can be active in my waiting? How would that change my perspective, my attitude, and indeed, my life?

From the start of life we are impatient, and some of us never “outgrow” it! The toddler whines to get the toy he wants right now. The teenager gets upset at the phone when the video is slow to download. The adult goes into debt so that she doesn’t have to wait for that wonderful fill-in-the-blank that will make life so much better.

Each of these is a symptom of impatience, and a sign that we have not learned God’s lesson that waiting is an essential part of our Christian development. Without it, we become a world of Veruca Salts of Willy Wonka fame, going around pointing at all of our wants and desires and screaming out, “I want it now, Daddy!”

As I look back on my prayers in my earlier faith journey (not so long ago, really), I notice that they looked and sounded a lot like a Christmas list, although a bit less materialistic. I would rattle off a long list of situations God needed to fix, or people to bless, or problems to solve. There was very little focus on my relationship with God or on the things He needed me to learn. There was little room for God’s sovereign plan, taking everyone’s needs into account. Confession and forgiveness received less emphasis because I wasn’t allowing God to show me where I had fallen short.

Suddenly I came face to face with a challenge for which I had no solution. I tried to pray for specific “fixes,” but as I was doing so, I would realize that I had no idea whether my plan would really change anything. I began to step back further from my challenge and pray in a whole new way.

Today my prayers have a different tone, asking God to accomplish everything that needs to be accomplished through a struggle or in a time of want. Why the change? Because when I said, “I want it now, Daddy,” my Father in Heaven said, “No, it is better that you wait.” And He has been showing me why that’s important ever since.

When God brings the blank space, see that you do not fill it in, but wait. - Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest

In what ways might you need to broaden your perspective on waiting?
Do your prayers reflect the recognition that waiting may be part of God's plan for your situation?

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