Waiting on God: Shifting Our FocusShembull

We are a culture largely defined by constant progress, innovation, and self-improvement. On the one hand, our pursuit of progress has led to a tremendous amount of good. However, on the other hand, any attempt to slow down, pause to catch our breath, or stop altogether can feel unacceptable in today's fast-paced, technology-driven world. In his classic book Margin, Richard A. Swenson describes progress as "proceeding to a higher state of development... progress works by differentiating our environment, thus always giving us more and more of everything faster and faster." But what happens when our unquenchable craving for progress collides with a season of waiting on God?

Tension is the inevitable result of the collision of progress and waiting. In the tension, we often grow impatient with God's timing, causing even the most content person among us to doubt His faithfulness. In a moment of weakness - with progress as our guide - we make our own plan, set our course, and begin executing the necessary steps that we think will end the pain of waiting.

However, Psalm 27:14 encourages us to take a different path, "Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord." And Peter urges us to "make every effort to support our faith with self-control." (2 Peter 1:5-7)

In seasons of waiting on God, we need to shift our focus from progress to patience.

Living from a place of patience in a season of waiting requires that we adopt a posture that says to God, "I will not move forward without you. I will wait for your instruction. And I will sit content at your feet trusting in your timing."

Scripture is full of examples of how we are to adopt a posture of patience. The book of James uses the imagery of a farmer waiting patiently for the rain to come in order for their crops to grow. (See James 5:7-8) And the Apostle Paul encourages followers of Jesus to clothe themselves with patience - like putting on a wool coat on a blustery cold winter day. (See Colossians 3:12)

Today, take time to reflect on your season of waiting. Has your waiting turned into do-it-yourself willpower? Has the constant flow of progress in your life impacted your willingness to wait on the Lord? If so, ask the Lord to show you what it might look like to wait patiently on His timing, trusting in His goodness.