By Andrea Johnson
I hate waiting. All I can think about is stuff I could be accomplishing. The other day I ran into Hobby Lobby to get a few things, but when I saw a line snaking throughout the entire length of the store, I bolted for the door. Nothing I wanted was worth waiting in that line!
It seems much more efficient to order online the items I want, thus eliminating the time-consuming process of searching through racks and rows to find the items on my list. I just type in the product and a couple of clicks later, it’s in my cart. No searching or waiting involved!
Once after waiting in line at Walgreens and finally reaching the cashier, she informed me that the sunglasses I was purchasing were two for the price of one. I could get a free pair. I nearly declined the offer before reluctantly admitting to myself that free sunglasses were probably worth ten minutes of my time. (I mean, expensive glasses seem to quickly disappear whereas cheap sunglasses last forever!)
Unfortunately, that desire for immediate results doesn’t work so well in my prayer life. I don’t think our Lord appreciates it when I mouth my requests to Him hoping He will then “supply everything I need.” He is not concerned with checking off every item on my list although that would be easy for Him.
If God did immediately answer all my prayers as I saw fit, the results would be disastrous. On more than one occasion a “no” or a “wait” from Him resulted in a much better outcome than what I could have imagined. But even more important, if God did answer all my prayers as I see fit, it would remove the wonder from our relationship. Our relationship would be nothing more than a business proposition in which I would commit to serve Him if He would grant every request on my list.
God has so much more “in store” for me than the paltry items I think I need. When I make the effort to set aside my list and allow myself to meander a bit in the Lord’s presence, it is always worth it. He might show me a better way to solve a problem than I would ever have thought of on my own. He might give me new perspective on an issue. He might want to give me an unexpected surprise such as peace when it doesn’t make sense. He might ask me to give Him something, like my trust. He might reveal something about Himself that I had never seen before. God wants us to get to know Him – His thoughts, His characteristics, His abilities. He wants to show us His heart.
If you read the Bible, you will discover that God is glorious; He is wonderful; He is marvelous. He is beyond our ability to comprehend, a fact that at times frustrates us to no end. Try as we might, we cannot make Him be the god we want Him to be. Therein is the “wonder,” the mystery.
Let’s never reduce our God to the status of a business associate who answers our requests and then get mad at Him when He doesn’t do things the way we wish. Let us be careful we do not attempt to reduce Him to someone we can understand or maybe worse, take for granted. Let us not take the wonder out of our relationship with Him.
Let’s wait on Him rather than demand He wait on us. As we focus on Him throughout the day, we may even feel compelled to serenade Him with praise as did the servants of Revelation 15:3-4 (NASB), who had been victorious over the beast and his image.
Great and marvelous are your works,
O Lord God, the Almighty;
Righteous and true are your ways,
King of the nations!
Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify your name?
For You alone are holy;
For all the nations will come and worship before you,
For your righteous acts have been revealed.
About the Author
Andrea Johnson, a credentialed Open Bible minister, is the managing editor of the Message of the Open Bible. A graduate of Open Bible College with a major in theology/missions, she has edited and co-edited several books, including Servants of the Spirit: Portraits of Pentecostal Pioneers, We Believe: Core Truths for Christian Living, and We Believe for Kids! Her goal is to reveal Christ to those who are searching for Him. In her spare time you will most likely find Andrea enjoying time with family and friends or hiking. She and her husband, Dennis, are blessed with four children, three of whom are married, and eight grandchildren.
