Waiting Isn’t a Waste Mark Vroegop
There are some things I’m good at. Whether by nature, nurture, or hard practice, I have accumulated some skills and been given some talents. But I’m not good at everything of course. Not nearly. One thing I’m very poor at is waiting. I’m restless, impatient, and eager to be active and this leaves me prone to pray too little and act too impulsively. It leaves me
I have read many books in my lifetime, but never have I read a book about waiting. Never, that is, until I picked up Waiting Isn’t a Waste: The Surprising Comfort of Trusting God in the Uncertainties of Life. This book for people like me who are sometimes forced to wait but who tend to see waiting as a waste, as a time that is meant to be conquered or bypassed or figured out as quickly as possible. The fact is that life is full of gaps, moments, and seasons when all we can do is wait—wait for clarity, wait for answers, wait for changes, wait for God to make his will clear to us and to others. The question is, what are we meant to do with these times?
Throughout the book, Vroegop shows that waiting is a surprisingly common theme in both the Old Testament and the New. The Bible, it turns out, has a lot to say about it. Waiting, he insists, is not just a necessary component of our humanity but a vital component of our Christian faith. Waiting is not a time when God is absent from our lives, but a time when he may be very present and even accomplishing great things within us. “That’s why the Old and New Testaments talk about it so often. Like many other things, including suffering and the crucifixion, God aims to transform what is painful and confusing. That’s also why believers are commanded to wait. From God’s perspective, it’s good.”
Of course, just because waiting is good does not mean that it is easy or that it comes naturally. And that’s the reason this book provides clear instructions on it. Throughout six chapters he shows that we are called to wait on God
honestly, acknowledging that waiting is hard;
frequently, acknowledging that waiting is common
thoughtfully, acknowledging that waiting is biblical
patiently, acknowledging that waiting is slow
intentionally, acknowledging that waiting is commanded
collectively, acknowledging that waiting is relational.
In short, he wants to help us redeem our waiting, stop dreading it, and learn to embrace the gaps in life as an opportunity to pursue the Lord, embrace his purposes, and become like His Son. There is no if about waiting—we will most certainly have times when God decrees, we will wait for opportunities, answers to prayer, the growth of character, the salvation of our loved ones, and so much else. The issue is not if but how—how we will wait when God’s decree forces us to come to a screeching halt.
1 John 5;15 - True Prayer
"We know that we are heard - This Epistle is full of certainty. John talks about the certainty of prayer. The first condition of true prayer is to be sure that it is according to the will of God. To ensure this we need to base our prayers on a promise of God. There is nothing more pleasing to God than that we bring our promises to him for fulfillment Another condition is to believe that God is listening. Be quiet before him. You are speaking into God's ear and heart. Finally, believe that you have asked for it in his will and he will fulfill it It may take more time than you want but he will work it according to his schedule, his will, and your true needs. - FB Meyer
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