Trusting God in the Waiting

“For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. ”

Jeremiah 29:11

I once heard a story about a farmer who planted a field of bamboo. Now I can't confirm if it's true, but the tale provides a good illustration, so I'll share it. The farmer watered it every day for a year, and nothing came up. He watered it the second year, and still nothing. Third year, fourth year; still nothing but bare soil. His neighbours laughed at him. His family thought he'd lost his mind. But he kept on watering the field.

Then in the fifth year, the bamboo broke through the ground. And in six weeks, it grew ninety feet tall.

The thing is, those first four years weren't wasted. The bamboo was building roots; a root system so deep and so wide that it could hold up something that would eventually tower over everything else around it. The growth was happening underground the whole time. It just wasn't visible for anyone to see.

And that's a love picture of what God often does in our lives. It reassures us and means that we need to have patience and trust Him in the waiting.

Because let's be honest, waiting is hard. We live in a world that trains us to expect instant results. We want answers now. We want the breakthrough today. We want the door to open before we finish knocking. And when God doesn't move on our timeline, we can start to wonder if He's moved at all!

But Scripture tells a different story. For scripture is full of people who waited. Abraham waited twenty-five years for the son God promised him. Joseph waited thirteen years between the dream and the throne. The Israelites waited four hundred years in Egypt before Moses showed up. David was anointed king as a teenager and didn't wear the crown until he was thirty. And in every single case, God was working, even when nothing seemed to be happening.

So the question for us is, what do we do while we wait? Waiting isn't passive, waiting isn't sitting in a chair staring at the walls, hoping God remembers us. Waiting is active, waiting is faith with its sleeves rolled up.

So while we wait, the first thing we need to do is keep praying. Not because God has forgot, but because prayer keeps our hearts soft and our eyes on Him.

Secondly we need to keep trusting in him. Trust isn't a feeling; it's a decision. It's choosing to believe that God is good even when our circumstances suggest otherwise.

Thirdly we need to on keep serving. Because the waiting room isn’t a vacation. There’s work to do doing, people to love, and Kingdom business to be getting on with .

Fourthly, we need to keep watching. God is always up to something. Sometimes the answer is already on its way, and we just haven't seen it yet.

Fifthly, keep on thanking him. Gratitude in the waiting is one of the most powerful things we believers can offer. It says to God, 'I trust You even before I see the result.'

In the waiting we need to remember that God is never late, and He’s never early either. He's always right on time. His timing isn't our timing, and His ways aren't our ways. But His character never changes. He is faithful. He is good. He is working all things together for the good of those who love Him.

So if right now you're in a season of waiting, if you've been watering the ground and seeing nothing, take heart. The roots are growing, the breakthrough is coming. And know that when it does, it will be bigger than anything you could have produced on your own.

Keep watering, keep trusting, keep believing. Because God, who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion.

“but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

Isaiah 40:31

Have a great week and God bless,

Trev