Why Waiting is Apart of God's Plans

Patience is one of the most common characteristics that people lack. People find it very difficult to even wait five minutes for something. When we are in a restaurant, we want our food to automatically get to us, or when we start a new job, we want to reap the benefits of making money right away. We are in the generation of "I want it right now," but God's plans are not on our time. God uses waiting to test us, to see if we will do what He says. There are different tests that God puts us through concerning finding our will, and here is just a few:

1) To test our trust in God: Hebrews 11:1 - "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."

It's easy to say that we trust God, but what happens when we are forced to wait? The majority of the time, we lose faith in God. We want something so bad at the exact moment that we figure that God isn't going to stand by His word when there isn't an automatic answer. When we start doubting Him, God loses faith in us as well. If we aren't willing to trust God, why would God send us blessings? God wants to bless those that wait on Him. He wants to have faithful servants that He can trust to be a light to the world. 

2) Appreciation: Hebrews 13:5 - "[Let your] conversation [be] without covetousness; [and be] content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee."

If we don't appreciate what we have now, what makes us think that we will appreciate something else that God gives us in the future? God wants to be able to know that we will honor and appreciate what He does for us. He doesn't want His blessings to us to be in vain. 

3) Patience: Isaiah 40:31 - "But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew [their] strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; [and] they shall walk, and not faint."

God wants to know that we honor Him enough that we are willing to wait upon Him. When we rush God, it seems as if we are taking advantage of God for His blessings. We want a quick answer to our prayers, when in reality, God is waiting to answer us because He is creating something much greater than we could imagine. 

4) Motives: Proverbs 21:2 - "Every way of a man [is] right in his own eyes: but the LORD pondereth the hearts."

God wants to see that we are praying for the right reasons. A lot of the time, we pray for things that we want, instead of things that we need or have a good reason for. We need to be selfless when we are praying for something or someone. Once God sees that our heart is true, then, He will choose how He wants to answer our prayers. 

Our hearts are not always set on the things of God when we are praying for something or someone, which is why it is so important to put it in God's hands. God knows exactly what the outcomes and consequences of something will be, and He will do what is best for us. All we have to do is give our burdens to God, and wait upon Him to show us His will.