What Do I Do With All This Waiting?
Written by Adam Bettino
“All of this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: ‘the virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel’ (which means ‘God with us’).”
Matthew 1:22-23
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord.
Isaiah 55:8
For centuries, God’s people waited for a promise to be fulfilled. Prophets spoke of a Messiah who would end the waiting and rescue them.
Matthew 1 begins with the genealogy of Jesus, “Thus there were 14 generations in all from Abraham to David, 14 from David to the exile to Babylon, and 14 from the exile to the Messiah.” I am not exactly sure how many years this is, but it is a long time.
For months I have been waiting for something to happen. I left a season of stress and turmoil and entered a season of quiet and uncertainty. People consistently say, “this is so great for you.” Then why am I so miserable? I am resisting rest and stillness like fighting off someone trying to give me a hug.
All of us have had periods of waiting on God: troubling health diagnoses, solutions to serious financial trouble, or reconciliation with loved ones. During my months of waiting, I have questioned God’s provision and His love and care for me. I have questioned my worth and value. I find myself fighting the urge to take matters into my own hands and create my own path. “God, I hope you know what you’re doing.”
Like many of us, I didn’t realize how much I try to do on my own. I have been forced to slow down. I realize that I have not trusted Him in all the ways that He wants me to. Now I hear Him saying, “What is your hurry? I’m doing something…” My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways.
I have never experienced anything to suggest that God is unfaithful or that He will not keep His promises. There is only evidence of his lavish love and unending grace. The “things” that I long for often shrink when compared to what He provides. He simply is not working on my timeline. My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways.
As I wait, I am being beat over the head with Scripture, sermons, and counsel that prompt me to keep waiting:
The Old Testament reads like a history of waiting. We see the struggles that God’s people endure while they wait. Many of these struggles result from their desire to speed things up. They worship false gods and deliberately disobey God’s commands over and over. We, too, are poor stewards of the time that He gives us to rest in His faithfulness.
While we wait, He is drawing us closer to Him. He uses these times to strip us of false identities. He reminds us that we are His children. He rids us of unhealthy attachments and idols so that we can better focus on hearing His voice. This momentary disruption has forced me to my knees. He is constantly reminding me to trust Him more. The space allows me to be more present with my family. When I do find stillness, I feel God’s presence and recognize his faithfulness in tangible ways. I trust that He is at work for His glory.
Miracles come in the waiting. Often in completely unexpected ways. We see this throughout Scripture. God shows up. Joseph eventually gets out of prison and becomes Pharaoh's right hand. Sarah becomes pregnant and God fulfills His covenant with His people as Abraham becomes the Father of Israel. The birth of Christ is the ultimate example of this. Immanuel – God with us. How unexpected that thousands of years of waiting would end with a baby born in a manger.
I pray during this Advent season that we are able to slow down and find God in the stillness. I pray that we are reminded that His ways are not our ways and that He has something miraculous for us that is more than worth the wait.
Matthew 1 begins with the genealogy of Jesus, “Thus there were 14 generations in all from Abraham to David, 14 from David to the exile to Babylon, and 14 from the exile to the Messiah.” I am not exactly sure how many years this is, but it is a long time.
For months I have been waiting for something to happen. I left a season of stress and turmoil and entered a season of quiet and uncertainty. People consistently say, “this is so great for you.” Then why am I so miserable? I am resisting rest and stillness like fighting off someone trying to give me a hug.
All of us have had periods of waiting on God: troubling health diagnoses, solutions to serious financial trouble, or reconciliation with loved ones. During my months of waiting, I have questioned God’s provision and His love and care for me. I have questioned my worth and value. I find myself fighting the urge to take matters into my own hands and create my own path. “God, I hope you know what you’re doing.”
Like many of us, I didn’t realize how much I try to do on my own. I have been forced to slow down. I realize that I have not trusted Him in all the ways that He wants me to. Now I hear Him saying, “What is your hurry? I’m doing something…” My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways.
I have never experienced anything to suggest that God is unfaithful or that He will not keep His promises. There is only evidence of his lavish love and unending grace. The “things” that I long for often shrink when compared to what He provides. He simply is not working on my timeline. My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways.
As I wait, I am being beat over the head with Scripture, sermons, and counsel that prompt me to keep waiting:
- While Joseph is imprisoned in Genesis 40, he interprets the dreams of the Cupbearer and the Baker. He asks the Cupbearer to tell Pharoah about his ability to interpret dreams, but the Cupbearer forgets. Joseph is probably thinking that he’s finally on his way out of prison. Nope. He waits TWO MORE YEARS for the Cupbearer to remember him after Pharoah has a dream that no one can interpret.
- We were recently reminded as we studied Galatians about Abraham and Sarah waiting for God to bless them with a child. They tire of waiting and take matters into their own hands. It doesn’t go great (Galatians 4 - check out Shawn’s sermon from 10/15 on the coastline app).
The Old Testament reads like a history of waiting. We see the struggles that God’s people endure while they wait. Many of these struggles result from their desire to speed things up. They worship false gods and deliberately disobey God’s commands over and over. We, too, are poor stewards of the time that He gives us to rest in His faithfulness.
While we wait, He is drawing us closer to Him. He uses these times to strip us of false identities. He reminds us that we are His children. He rids us of unhealthy attachments and idols so that we can better focus on hearing His voice. This momentary disruption has forced me to my knees. He is constantly reminding me to trust Him more. The space allows me to be more present with my family. When I do find stillness, I feel God’s presence and recognize his faithfulness in tangible ways. I trust that He is at work for His glory.
Miracles come in the waiting. Often in completely unexpected ways. We see this throughout Scripture. God shows up. Joseph eventually gets out of prison and becomes Pharaoh's right hand. Sarah becomes pregnant and God fulfills His covenant with His people as Abraham becomes the Father of Israel. The birth of Christ is the ultimate example of this. Immanuel – God with us. How unexpected that thousands of years of waiting would end with a baby born in a manger.
I pray during this Advent season that we are able to slow down and find God in the stillness. I pray that we are reminded that His ways are not our ways and that He has something miraculous for us that is more than worth the wait.
Reflective Question for the Day
What does it mean for you to trust God in the waiting?
Are there things that you have been waiting for that you can entrust to God?
Can you recall a time that you were called to wait, and God reminded you of His faithfulness?
Adam Bettino is a husband, father, civil servant, and Dodgers advocate. His favorite morning routine is waking up before dawn to find waves. He loves how much his kids love Christmas. Adam loves all the chocolaty Christmas treats unless fruit is involved.