With e-ticket receipt printed, music selected, and exciting meetings planned, I felt totally excited. I couldn’t wait to fly to Nashville and record my latest album with a Grammy-winning producer.

Suddenly, I got sick. My plans crashed. With the trip postponed, the wait began.

OK, I confess: I hate to wait. (Hey, I don’t complain…usually.) In fact, my entire generation hates to wait. We blame it on our culture of convenience: instant downloads, speedy texting, fast food, and more. That’s why it’s important to learn that waiting is not punishment – it’s a pronouncement of good things ahead!

Eight Facts of Faith for the Wait

1. Sometimes, when we’re waiting for God, He’s waiting for us. He’s waiting for us to seek His presence more than His presents. Enjoying His presence exceeds any other presents. He is so beautiful, holy, loving, and faithful! Let’s relax in His loving arms. Let’s personally possess and confess Psalms 34:10:

“Even strong young lions sometimes go hungry, but those who trust in the LORD will lack no good thing.” (NLT)

2. Avoid mislabeling opportunities. Fully convinced, I’ve been known to say that the timing is “divine” when it’s actually…mine. Relate? I thought so. Just because we name it God’s doesn’t mean we can blame Him when it falls through. Think of it this way: If you grab your cell phone and file the wrong number with the right name, you’ll always call the wrong number. (Trust me: It happened to me once. Embarrassing! At least, I can laugh about it now!) Don’t blame the phone. Just rename it and move on.

3. Make a 180° perspective change on waiting. Waiting never wastes time. It enhances life here and reaps rewards hereafter. (A friend’s Facebook status sums it up so well: “The longer the wait, the more beautiful the reward.”)

4. Expect the best after the test. Let’s thank God that He’s apparently planned something better than expected.

5. Waiting on God means watching Him, not our watch. Things never take longer than He expected. An elderly friend of mine, Marjorie, puts it so well: “If we knew what God knows, we would do exactly what He does.”

6. While waiting on God, let’s get busy as His waiters and waitresses. Being busy with His work makes time fly by. Let’s love with action while we wait for God’s action! We don’t have to sit around collecting dust. Instead, we can trust God and be active as His followers.

7. For every request, God knows what’s best. Let’s stop worrying and start living like we believe we’ll receive God’s best in the end. That reminds me of my friend, “May”, who worried about her prayer request. She dreaded the arrival of a CEO who could bring change to her job. She and I prayed together on the phone and talked about how God might use a change at work. Guess what? The CEO came and left without changing a thing! What a powerful answer to prayer!

8. Jesus remains loving, true, and perpetually punctual, too! My friend, Susie Jennings of Operation Care-Dallas, needed donations to cover the overhead for the largest Christian event for homeless people at Christmas. When she had given up hope, someone gave a large gift! I was blessed to sing and volunteer at the event and stood in awe of how God helped 15,000 homeless people get the Gospel and hands-on aid. So, while you wait, repeat Romans 8:28.

In fact, if your life were a movie, you’d receive a guaranteed happy ending! Ephesians 3:20 says:

“Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.” (NLT)

That verse comes in handy, including in the case of my recording. Remember my trip to record in Nashville? It’s been rescheduled. And it’s going to be better than before! (In the process, I was even able to reach out with Jesus’ love to an airline representative.)

When it comes to trusting God, don’t hesitate. He’s never late. Today, I fall at His feet and deeply thank Him for how He used my waiting.

Guess what? In the end, you’ll be doing the exact same thing. God guarantees it!

-Stacie Ruth Stoelting
Guest Columnist