Can you please raise your hand to all the complainers? My hand is with you. Get ready. The official definition of grievance is compelling… “expressing dissatisfaction in a grumpy manner.” ah! That doesn’t seem very Christ-like.
Let’s take it a step further. How many people don’t mind waiting, especially when it’s difficult and mentally draining? I think it’s hard to find people who are happy with waiting. In fact, it’s probably pretty standard to find yourself grumbling in the waiting wilderness. Sure it can be a frustrating place.
I recently just entered a personally frustrating waiting season. Interestingly,.,//Shortly after a very difficult 18 month season, God gave our family an incredible victory that exceeded all of our expectations. in fact. My situation happened the day before our family’s victory.
A little backstory…I love walking in the woods, especially in the fall. It boosts my mental health and makes me happy. Alas, that walk came to a screeching halt because I broke my ankle and foot. I am currently in a boot awaiting further workup by an orthopedic surgeon to find out how serious this is and for how long it will limit my mobility. I immediately started complaining because I knew it would probably be at least 6 weeks. I was so angry and frustrated that this had happened. In fact, my complaining stole the incredible joy I was supposed to feel that God had rescued our family from the final season of waiting. And when I say what he did was nothing short of a miracle, it was a miracle!
Have you ever noticed yourself there? Have you ever stopped appreciating the triumphs and endings of one season because you’ve had successive seasons of waiting and quickly moved into the next? Not to mention how quickly you’ve forgotten the lessons you’ve learned over the last 18 months, when everything has gone amazingly well for me anyway. I was so angry at myself for not trusting that God would accomplish everything that concerned me, and for allowing myself to be consumed by fear and what-ifs while I was waiting. To make matters worse, I complained why I had to wait so long when I was in the middle of it all. It is only later that we realize that it took that long for certain circumstances to occur that changed the outcome trajectory exactly as we had hoped and prayed. Indeed, God’s ways are perfect.
Does the groaning in the wilderness sound familiar? Take a look at the famous grumbling Israelites from the Bible…
At that time the whole congregation lifted up their voices and cried, and the people wept, saying:
night. All the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron, and all the congregation said to them, “We should have died in the land of Egypt! Or we should have died in this wilderness!” “Why has the Lord brought us into this land to fall by the sword?” Our wives and children will become plunderers. Wouldn’t it be better to go back to Egypt? ” So they said to one another, “Let us appoint leaders and return to Egypt…The Lord said to Moses, “How long will this people reject me? And how long will they not believe in me, despite all the signs that I have done among them? “I will smite them with pestilence, and I will plunder them, and I will make you a greater and more powerful nation than they.…Then the Lord said: But surely, while I live, the whole earth will be filled with the glory of the Lord. “Indeed, all those who have seen my glory and the signs that I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tried me ten times and have not listened to my voice, will never see the land that I swore to their fathers, nor will they that rejected me.” Numbers 14:1-4; 11-12; 20-23
Here we see a warning from the Lord about the cost of complaining. He doesn’t take it kindly. Let us actually apply this warning to our hearts that are weary in the wilderness, so that sin does not increase in the “waiting room.”
What happens when waiting becomes wandering?
I have sought you with all my heart. Do not stray from your commandments. Psalm 119:10
The Israelites literally wandered in the desert because of their dissatisfaction. Instead of keeping their eyes fixed on the promised destination, they looked back at the bondage they had come from and instead of trusting that the Lord would fulfill his promise and lead them safely to the Promised Land, they longed for it.
Indeed, we sometimes wander in the “desert of the mind.” While we wait, what-ifs, fears, and worries all dominate our thoughts. This is especially true if you have a health problem or are waiting for test results. You may have been unemployed for a long time and your bills are mounting. You realize that you are still waiting for a break to find a job. Various situations can make what-ifs come to the fore and distract you from where you should be concentrating.
The next time you find yourself waiting, check your mind for any wandering thoughts. “We destroy every argument and every pretense that is contrary to the knowledge of God, and take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:5 The Lord is not going to keep us waiting to destroy us. Yet, because God has placed us in the wilderness of waiting, we can rely completely on Him. Seek the Lord constantly with all your heart and do not stray from His commandments. Remember, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; obey Him in all your ways, and He will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6
If we are not calm, we can miss God’s bigger plan.
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor your ways my ways, saith the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8-9
As I mentioned earlier, our family has just completed a grueling waiting period. So much so that I have to remind myself that it’s really over. The Lord has given us victory. He took away all our worries and fears. Please learn from me! Don’t wait until it affects your emotional and physical health to settle down. We get so focused on the wilderness that we forget that God is sovereign and nothing happens except according to His will.
When it was finally all over and I was able to celebrate my victory, I thought to myself: “Oh, I was actually lucky that I waited!” Looking in the rearview mirror, I knew I had to picture these situations as they were. Because without the delay, the blessing would not have happened.
What do they say, hindsight is 20/20. Now we have to put on the eternal glasses. We may not know the outcome or the reason for waiting, but the infinite perspective from the above scriptures reminds us that God’s way is not our way, and that God works out all things perfectly.
The next time you find yourself feeling restless while waiting, remember that God’s plan is always for you. The Lord will never abandon you, even if it doesn’t make sense.
Don’t let delays ruin your dedication.
“For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but in the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Even if it delays, wait for it; it will not be delayed, for it will surely come.” Habakkuk 2:3
Our family especially clung to the Lord during our recent wilderness wait. We did not allow situations to make us question God’s love for us. But unfortunately, for me anyway, I was plagued by the question, “I know God can do it, but will He??” We honestly do not know God’s will. So I didn’t want to think I knew it. But the lesson I learned here is that we need to pray without hubris. We need to be bold and declare that God will do it.
But I know that some people will abandon God while they wait. They are so discouraged that their devotion to the Lord is shattered. They have been through a lot in life. They did everything the Lord wanted them to do, but the answer was still negative. The attitude of “What good is prayer?” takes over, and the chasm between that person and the Lord grows bitterly large.
Rather, we should continue to draw closer to Him, especially when we are tired of waiting. You must hold fast to God’s promises. Don’t just stick together, make a statement! I love the Habakkuk passage. It reminds us that delay does not lie. So don’t make up lies in your head that aren’t true. Instead, stay in the Word. Seek the comfort of the Holy Spirit as you wait. You are promised an answer at a set time. It will definitely come. Remember, God’s timing is not our timing. What may seem like a delay to us is not at all slow to the Lord. In fact, the answer will be given at a fixed and precise time.
Dear Lord, while we wait, help us to override our complaints with gratitude and trust in Him and His purpose.
What part of waiting time do you struggle with?
Which of the above can help with waiting time?
Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Janina Steinmetz
Karen Dell Tattoo is a blogger, author, women’s ministry leader, pastor’s wife, mother, and grandmother who is passionate about God’s Word. Her blog, “Growing Together in Grace and Knowledge,” and her books, “Choosing to Trust God: Breaking the Habit of Worry,” “A 30-Day Devotional,” and “Choosing to Trust God Companion Journal,” reveal her heart offering biblical insights to inspire women to grow in, through, and overcome hardship. Karen and her husband live in Rhode Island and enjoy walking in the woods, petting owls, and spending time with their grandchildren.
