She Who Waits On God Loses No Time

"He's definitely not for you," my dad shared about Will*. As I opened my Bible that night, I knew I had God's confirmation, too. "Listen to your father who gave you life" (Proverbs 23:22). I broke things off the next morning, a tear coating my cheek.

Ahh, and there was the time a few years ago when I was driving down the interstate with Mark*. Shooting a prayer up to the Lord – "Jesus, can you show me if I should take this any further?" – I knew I needed clarity. I got it; a car immediately flew past with the license plate stamped 'MARKSDONE'. I broke things off, my mouth quivering and heart a bit sore.

Oh, and there was the night in the Pepperdine chapel I gave my heart to the Lord, eight years ago, dating Josh*, a man I easily saw a future with. Great family – check. Successful – check. Good looking – check. Lakers tickets – check. Lo and behold, God didn't seem to care about that little checklist – as I felt an immediate piercing in my heart with a Voice I practically heard aloud: "Focus on Me, Paige. I will be your Husband for now." The breakup I initiated with Josh five minutes later wasn't an easy one, if you were wondering.

Believe it or not, I've got a rolodex of stories (many of which detailed in my book Finding Your Prince) about trusting God when it came to dating (ugh), decisions, or my destiny. And I've learned that trusting often involves saying 'no' when we want to say 'yes,' and ... lots of waiting.

I learned this principle one day as I drove into the parking garage outside my office, praying that God would make it clear when He'd decide to finally do a mighty work through my life. I got my answer almost immediately. My friend Rick, a sixty-something handicapped man in a wheelchair who hangs around downtown, waved me down. I had earlier given Rick a Bible, prayed with him, and always made an effort to say "hi." But this particular day, he had something for me, instead.

Tears in his eyes, he wheeled up to my car and handed me a beautiful framed picture of an eagle with the following verse: "Those who wait on the Lord will renew their strength. They will rise up on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not faint." (Isaiah 40:31)

"I feel like God told me to give you this," Rick shared. I went home, hung it on my wall, and vowed to never take it down. God had told me to sit tight and wait.

As I look to the verse now, sitting on my couch in my condo, I notice how it doesn't praise those who run ahead of the Lord; it praises those who WAIT on the Lord – quite the opposite of what we hear around us. This world praises speed, and the Bible shares how, in the last days, "many shall run to and fro” (Daniel 12:4). In today's microwave, Tinder, Amazon Prime society, we see quick, snap-your-fingers speed for food, a date, or a last minute Father's Day gift to your doorstep. We don't wait anymore! We don't know how!

However, the Bible is full of people who waited on God when it was difficult and met extraordinary favor, blessings, and fulfillment (Ruth, Joseph, David, Noah). Alas, it's also full of people who DIDN'T wait on God, meeting difficulty, fear, and wrong turns (Saul, Esau, etc).

Abraham, a patriarch of the Bible, was told as a young chap how he would be the 'father of many nations' through his heirs. But, as Abraham grew older and he still didn't have a child, he became confused.

"Abraham shared, “Lord, what good are all your blessings when I don’t even have a son?"... Then the Lord took Abraham outside and said to him, “Look up into the sky and count the stars if you can. That’s how many descendants you will have!” And Abraham believed the Lord, and the Lord counted him as righteous because of his faith.” Genesis 15:2-6

And finally, six full chapters later...

“Abraham was 100 years old when his promised son, Isaac, was (finally) born.” Genesis 21:5

Throughout years of barrenness, Abraham could have thought God was letting him down; that God had forgotten about him or couldn't be trusted. And you, beloved, may feel the same, whether waiting on a marriage, job, health, child, or otherwise. However, waiting on God is never time wasted. In fact, it's time invested – and time invested in trusting Him never returns void. I'm learning this daily, having learned to say 'no' to the handful of relationships discussed above, among other (more critical) things. Yet I know, like Abraham, trusting God always leads to good (Romans 8:28). Always.

Jesus loves you, He understands your hurry, yet He knows best. May you wait in peace knowing Jesus has glorious plans for you, sweet sister. Because when you wait – He works.

Psalm 40:1
"I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry."

Romans 8:25
"But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience."

Exodus 14:14
"The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still."

Galatians 6:9
“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”

Romans 15:5
“May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had.”

James 5:8
“You also must be patient. Keep your hopes high, for the day of the Lord’s coming is near.”

 Philippians 4:6
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”

Romans 12:12
"Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer."

*names changed