The Privilege of Waiting
“Noah did this; he did all that God commanded him.”
Genesis 6:22 (ESV)
An Unexpected Mercy
Club31Women is honored to showcase the winning pieces from the COMPEL Writers Training competition, featuring heartfelt devotionals written by emerging Christian writers. COMPEL equips women with the tools and confidence to write words that matter. These devotionals are a beautiful reflection of that mission.
The sounds, sights, and smells of the animal hospital are always an experience. My cat, Ringo, has a chronic condition, so I’ve seen lots of pets and their people come through these waiting rooms. I comforted Ringo as we waited for our routine lab appointment—already 15 minutes late.
A woman burst through the doors, tears streaming down her face. A few seconds later, the call came over the intercom, “Two intensive care nurses to the front, stat!” Staff rushed to the patient’s car. A large Labrador was wheeled inside, and it was clear: the situation was critical. I felt my cat’s breathing, and I thanked the Lord that our visit was not urgent. I prayed for the dog’s recovery. Our appointment might be even more delayed, but we were the lucky ones. Today, we had the privilege of waiting.
At Odds with My Heart
Another thought then occurred to me: I often want things I desire to happen quickly, and yet I’d never volunteer for an emergency. I like to process change, and I’d rather not rush. It seemed like what my mind desired and what my soul needed may be at odds.
How often do we wish away our waiting without wondering if perhaps we aren’t ready for the change God has in store? Hurried change can take us to places that we aren’t ready to be and didn’t have time to prepare for.
As I looked around at all the animals in the waiting room, the story of Noah’s ark aptly came to mind.
A Call Toward Obedience
In the book of Genesis, when the Lord saw wickedness over all the world, He sent a cleansing flood. But first, he prepared his servant Noah to weather the storm. We’re told that “Noah walked with God” (Gen. 6:9). So God commanded him to build an ark for his family and the animals upon the earth. Noah prepared obediently for what was to come: “Noah did this; he did all that God commanded him” (Gen. 6:22).
When the rain arrived, the animals boarded the ark two by two. The floodwaters rose, but Noah’s family was safely aboard. Every living thing on the land was lost, and only those on the ark survived.
What might have happened had the Lord not mercifully prepared Noah for the flood or if Noah had not been diligent in following the Lord’s instruction?
Instead, the Lord made Noah ready. And what’s more: Noah walked with God in his season of waiting for what was next. Noah realized he was being prepared for something the Lord was doing. He needed to wait, and waiting was the very thing that saved him. What would’ve been an emergency was now an opportunity to put into practice the time of obedient preparation that the Lord had given.
A Gift of Preparation
Waiting is kindness. It’s an invitation to be refined with a tender patience that doesn’t rush the process. The Lord asks us to walk with Him and to be made ready for what is to come.
Sudden change is often far more painful than a slow and steady season of growth. Noah let the Lord’s work unfold through his hands, crafting the vessel that saved his family and all the creatures on the earth. Our patient obedience is also the stage on which God will work wonders in our lives.
We may view this time of patient pruning with weariness. But waiting is a gift from God to our hurried hearts that says: today this not critical. Fast action follows emergencies. We may never understand the pain we are spared when the change we desire now is instead allowed to unfold over time.
Waiting is a blessed privilege of preparation. We need only walk with God. When my cat sits atop my lap purring loudly, content and still, I am reminded that the Lord has given us the gift of time.
In His Word
Read Psalm 27:13-14. Bring the Lord your thanks for the things He is preparing for you behind the scenes. Ask Him to encourage, comfort, and guide you as you wait.
In Your Life
In what ways is the Lord calling you toward obedience in your current season? What might you need to let go of or what actions might He be calling you to take as you prepare for what’s next?
We Recommend
Looking for more encouragement for moments of waiting? Read this devotional about abiding in Christ in the waiting.
We also recommend Peace in the Waiting by June Chapman. Drawing on her experience with a close friend, author June Chapman explores how to name and process our sorrow over friends and family who don’t know God, our confusion about some people being saved and not others, and much more.
Let’s Connect
June Chapman is the author of Peace in the Waiting: When You Love People Who Don’t Love God. In her writing, June desires to point people to Christ’s light in the darkness. She lives and works in the greater Washington, DC area, where she can be found spending time with her two cats, enjoying a good sandwich, and exploring her city. Connect with June at JuneChapman.com.