I hate to wait.

I'm such an American. I want my burger now. I don't even want to get out of my car for it. I want my kids to be godly this very second. After all, I've got things to do....

And yet I'm constantly being forced to wait. My doctor has a waiting room, which is always filled when I arrive, even if I schedule the first appointment of the day. As I write this, my van is at the repair shop, where for over a week it's been awaiting a new transmission. In the last year, I think I've spent more time waiting for my van to be repaired than actually driving it. Recently I had to make a number of calls to my insurance company and every time I had to wait for minutes on end before speaking to a real human person. And the day before yesterday my laptop kept crashing and I spent all morning booting and rebooting it up........gosh! I hate waiting!

Lamentations 3:24-26 says, “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,“therefore I will hope in him.” The Lord is good to those who wait for him,to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.

Why is it good for believers to wait on the Lord?

One reason is because it humbles us. Waiting reminds us that the Lord is the center of the universe, not us. Waiting reminds us that we are dependent upon God and we must abide by his gracious will and timing. Waiting underscores our need for God. He controls all and we don't have control over anything.

Once when traveling to a nearby town, I hit every red light in a stretch of road. As I got impatient, God popped the thought into my head: What is it you're craving right now that is causing your grumbling? What is it you want that you aren't getting? I thought, "I want every light to turn green before I get to it. I want all creation to serve me and my plans. I want to be God." Pretty frightening, huh? I'm glad God is so patient with me. In his goodness to me, he regularly reminds me that I am but a tiny speck of dust who owes his complete existence to his Creator. Waiting can humble us, reminding us that we are creatures, dependent on God.

The servant waits for the master, not vice-versa. Servants wait for the master to tell them what to do; they don't give the orders. Waiting reminds us that we're servants.

Waiting for God is an act of humility, telling God that he's the only one who can help, provide, heal, strengthen and guide us.

If you're waiting on God for something, that 's good, because waiting can humble, and God gives grace to the humble. Why not thank him right now for your circumstances, and praise him that he is your sovereign King.