How Do You Wait?
More than 30 years ago, on a cool August evening, my wife Susanne went into labor with our first son. At the time, we lived in the same remote Adirondack town that we do now, which meant that the closest hospital was a 35-minute drive.
When her water broke, it was go-time! We got into the car and started the somewhat feverish drive to the hospital, and all was going smoothly until we came to a complete standstill on the highway. Traffic is not at all common where we live, and even less so at 10:30 p.m.
A police traffic stop had caused the traffic and shut down all lanes. They had established a roadblock due to the fact that there had been two escaped convicts, and they were searching cars, one by one. It seemed like it was taking FOREVER!
Cars weren't moving. Susanne was in active labor. And I was stuck, unable to do anything but wait. I remember gripping the steering wheel, heart racing, and then I made my move. I pulled over to the shoulder and began passing the long line of cars.
As I got closer to the State Troopers who were searching, one stepped into the shoulder, raised his one hand, and with a flashlight in the other yelled, "Just what do you think you're doing?!" As he came to my window, I was calm enough to say, "Sir, I will gladly get to the back of the line if you and your fellow officers want to deliver this baby." He took one look inside and waved us through.
Looking back now, I realize that moment, even though my actions were warranted, was a microcosm of something that many of us, including yours truly, struggle with.
WAITING.
The Lost Art of Waiting
We live in a world that has declared war on waiting. Two-day shipping isn't fast enough anymore; we want same-day delivery. Buffering videos frustrate us. Waiting in line feels like an affront and agitates us. We've been conditioned to believe that it's our right not to have to wait; if we want something, we should have it now!
This impatience has seeped into every area of our lives. We want instant career success, immediate answers to our prayers, quick fixes to our problems, and rapid results from our efforts.
And when God doesn't operate on our timeline, we get restless and become overcome with doubt. We start taking matters into our own hands, running ahead of Him, convinced that our timing is better than His.
But Scripture tells a different story, and if we are honest, we know better.
Wait Patiently
Psalm 40:1 begins with these words from David: "I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry." Notice the keyword in that sentence - patiently. David didn't just wait; he waited with patience, with trust, with an understanding that God's timing was worth the wait.
The Hebrew word for "waited patiently" is actually "waited waitingly". It's an emphatic doubling that communicates active, expectant, enduring patience. This isn't passive resignation or begrudging tolerance. It's a confident waiting that believes God is working even when we can't see it.
Later in verse 2, David describes what God did during that waiting: "He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand." The waiting wasn't wasted time; it was the process through which God was working redemption, and in His timing, he placed David on a firm foundation.
What We Miss When We Run Ahead
Back in that traffic jam, all I could think about was getting to the hospital. I wasn't thinking about the fact that Susanne and I were together in that moment. I wasn't praying or trusting God with the outcome. I wasn't learning anything about surrender or patience. I was just frustrated, anxious, and trying to figure out how to control the uncontrollable. I wish I could say that was the last time I felt that way in traffic, but it's not.
How often do we do this with God?
He has us in a season of waiting; waiting for clarity, waiting for provision, waiting for healing, waiting for a breakthrough. And instead of trusting in His timing and "waiting waitingly," we spend the entire time trying to force our way forward instead of learning what He wants to teach us in the wait.
Isaiah 40:31 says, "But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint."
Waiting on the Lord isn't passive; it's where our strength is renewed. It's where we learn to trust. It's where our faith is refined.
When we run ahead of God, we miss the transformation that happens in the waiting. We miss the character development, the deepening of faith, the lessons in surrender. We get so focused on the destination that we fail to see that the waiting itself is part of God's purpose.
God's Timing Is Not Our Timing
One thing I have learned about God is that He isn't late. He isn't slow. He isn't forgetful. He's working on His timeline that we can't fully see or understand, and His timing is always perfect.
The Bible is full of stories of those who waited, including Abraham, Joseph, Moses, Saul, David, the entire nation of Israel, and many others. Each and every time any of these grew impatient and ran ahead, the consequences were dire. We would do well to learn from them.
Learning to Wait Well
That night in September, we eventually made it to the hospital with plenty of time to spare. Our son was born healthy, and looking back, those anxious moments stuck in traffic changed nothing about the outcome. What they did change was me, or rather, what they revealed about me. They showed me how little I trusted God in moments where I wasn't in control.
Learning to wait well doesn't mean we become passive or stop taking action. It means we learn to discern between moving forward in faith and running ahead in fear. It means we ask God what He wants us to learn in the waiting rather than spending all our energy trying to escape it.
If you're in a season of waiting right now, waiting for answers, waiting for change, waiting for a diagnosis, waiting for God to move, know that the waiting isn't wasted.
God is working even when you can't see it.
Your job isn't to force the door open; it's to wait patiently, trust deeply, and remain expectant that He will do what He's promised.
Because God is faithful, and that will never change.
Running the race with you,
Carlos
P.S. A few weeks ago, I was able to reconnect with a former work colleague and share my story of failure, disgrace, and redemption. I am so thankful for the opportunity to share God's work in my life and thankful that He waited for me. If you care to give it a listen, you can find it here: https://boldjourneys.co/bj-podcast/from-infidelity-to-redemption-how-god-saved-a-man-and-his-marriage/
This edition was first published in The Life Design Newsletter on LinkedIn.