Why Does God Make Us Wait?

So, here's the deal. Prayer works, I know this well.

How do I know? I know prayers work when they are answered, for the whole purpose of praying is for God to hear and answer! He tells us this over and over and over again in His Word.

But sometimes God makes us wait. Why is that?

WHY IS THAT?!?!

This waiting is hard. Real...hard. 

But, this might make your waiting a bit easier. Here are 8 reasons that God makes us wait. I compiled this list from a book I came across (that I highly recommend),The Promising God by Richard Bucher. Here you go:

1. God is moving pieces into place.

You don't necessarily know what pieces are necessary, but God does. When He works all things together for good, He is working "all things" even those things that you don't know about; those things that you've never thought of; those things that He knows because He's God.

2. You're not ready yet.

I know, this isn't good to know. But it's a reason that God might be making you wait. And, you possibly can't hurry up the process. But you can talk with God and ask Him to let you know what He's waiting for you to do--if anything. He might be waiting for you to experience something in order to be ready. And, you might not like what you have to experience. He might be waiting for you to learn something. (Be a quick learner!)

3. So you won't love gifts more than the Giver.

This is a biggy. Sometimes the longer we have to wait, the bigger our desire grows for the 1 thing we are asking Him to deliver. Be careful not to let your "thing" get bigger than God. Make your desire bow down to the lordship of Christ in your life by trusting God's timing and declaring your love for Him with or without the answer you are seeking.

4. It's not about you but for someone else's good.

In other words, you are a piece of someone else's puzzle and because God is working ALL THINGS together for good, you have to wait because your wait is part of their good things coming together.

Huh...that's not especially great to know, but it does add some meaning to your long seasons of silence and longing and waiting. Watch for the opportunities that come your way simply because you are in this season of waiting.

5. For God to receive more glory.

This is what I call God Ephesians 3:20ing my prayer. When God doesn't do what I anticipate Him doing (in the time frame I expected Him to do it), then I assume He is Ephesians 3:20ing my prayer. While I ask, God answers with "exceedingly abundantly more than I could ever ask or imagine!" That means that God's got something in store that is way better than what I thought I wanted Him to give me, something so much better that my own limited imagination couldn't even think it up.

6. God wants you to depend on Him.

Yep...He wants you. And He wants you to want Him. Because at the core of your very existence is the desire for a LOVE relationship with God. The devil has tricked you into believing that you want something different. And he (the devil) knows that whatever it is that you think that you want will never satisfy you the way that only God can.

7. So that you will have interactions with others you would otherwise never have.

Your wait has most likely put you in touch with people you wouldn't be in touch with if you weren't waiting. Ask God to show you what to do with these interactions so that you can steward them well.

8. The nature of your request requires that you wait.

And sometimes you don't know what you are asking. Remember what James and John wanted so much that they sent their mother to ask it of Jesus? They wanted to be right up there with Jesus in His glorious position of power and authority when His Kingdom came. They had no idea what they were asking.

We tend to long for those things that we don't have and we obsess over the very pleasant parts of them. We totally miss the hard part, or the not so pleasant part or the hurting part or the costly part.

There you go. 8 reasons that God makes us wait. And as you wait, remember these things:

God knows what He's doing.
God doesn't mess with you.
God WILL answer you.
God IS answering you.
When the time comes God will do this swiftly!
In the end you will see God is good; all the time.

If you have read this post and are waiting on God...comment here and let us know. Share any words of wisdom or Scripture that will encourage us in the wait