3 Reasons to Wait for God’s Best
This article was written by Vivian Bricker and published by Crosswalk
Let’s face it—waiting can be extremely hard. When it comes to waiting for prayers to be answered, often, it can take longer than we originally hoped. God’s time is different from ours as He is not bound by our limitations. God is the Creator of time; therefore, He is not restrained by twenty-four-hour clocks as we are. Even though waiting for God’s best takes time, there are many reasons why we should wait for what He has in store.
1. God Has Better Things in Store
The first reason why we should wait for God’s best is because God has better things in store. Even though we may think we know best, we don’t. It is best for us to wait for God’s best rather than trying to manipulate circumstances. God has the most wonderful things in store for us if we just wait. While it can be hard sometimes to wait for God’s best, God’s ways and plans have our best in mind.
The Apostle Paul tells us, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28). From Paul’s words, we can trust in the truth that God will work out all things for our good. Even if your present situation is difficult, rest in the knowledge that God has better things in store. This dark season may last for a time, but it won’t last forever.
When we wait for God’s best, we won’t be disappointed. The Bible says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5-6). God will direct our paths if we follow His lead. By following God, we will travel the correct path and will live the life God desires for us. If we turn away from God and think we know best by refusing to wait for Him, we will miss many opportunities to serve the Lord.
2. God’s Time Is Different from Our Time
A second reason to wait for God’s best is that God’s time is different from our time. The Apostle Peter tells us, “But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day” (2 Peter 3:8). God’s time is different from our own because He is outside of time. What may seem like a long time for us is only mere seconds for God.
Being patient is difficult, yet it is worth it. God’s best is worth waiting for, as we don’t know the wonderful things God has in store for us. The Bible tells us, “Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him” (Isaiah 64:4). Paul reflects upon this truth when he speaks to the Corinthians, “However, as it is written: ‘What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived’—the things God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9).
God has great plans for our future, but we must wait on His timing. It might seem as though God’s timing is delayed, but His timing is perfect. The Lord is above all things, and we can trust in His timing. Waiting on God’s timing will take patience on our behalf, but we must understand that waiting for God’s best will take time. By waiting on God’s best, the best-case scenario will occur because God is the one who orchestrated the events. Lamentations 3:25 says, “The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him.” If we choose to not be patient and instead take matters into our own hands, we are failing to wait for God’s best.
3. We Won’t Have Regrets
A third reason to wait for God’s best is so that we don’t have regrets. If we choose to not wait on God’s best, we are bound to have regrets because we never fully saw the best God had in store for us. God never wants us to settle for second best, yet when we fail to wait for God’s best, we end up doing just this. Instead of waiting on God, we choose to take matters into our own hands. The Bible tells us, “Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord” (Psalm 27:13-14).
As Psalm 27:13-14 tells us, we need to wait for the Lord. Even though it will be difficult to wait, we won’t regret choosing to wait on God. Nobody wants to reflect back on their lives and face regrets. Rather, we want to look back at our lives and see a life that was well spent serving the Lord. A wasted like for God is one who chose to follow their own wants instead of listening to God. Simply because we want something doesn’t mean we need it. If we think about it, we have often wanted many things that may have been detrimental to our own health. This is why we need to turn to God and wait for Him instead of taking matters into our own hands.
God knows what is best for us, and we can trust Him. Even when a situation or circumstance is difficult, God is working through it. We may not understand why something happened to us throughout our lives, yet we can trust that God is working it out for our good. When we choose to wait for God’s best, we will never have to worry about secondhand happiness. The world tries to give us one definition of happiness, but true joy and happiness are only found in Christ.
We will never be able to experience God’s best if we constantly try to find “the best” outside of God. There is no goodness or joy outside of the Lord. We are trading heavenly joy for earthly temporary happiness when we choose to not wait for God. God has far greater plans for us in store if we will wait for Him. Neglecting to wait for God’s best can leave us feeling regret later in life. None of us want to hold regrets in our life. We want to live life to the fullest and serve the Lord in our actions and words.