Waiting

Making the Most of Seasons 'In Between'

Why is waiting so hard? Isn’t it just a waste of precious, limited time?

I took the opportunity to really wrestle with these questions and dig deep into the source of my impatience while reading Mark Vroegop’s insightful and practical book, Waiting Isn’t a Waste. Reading this book has been a real gift to me because it helped me uncover a few hidden truths about my behavior. I feel better equipped now to embrace seasons of waiting as opportunities to peek into my heart and ask, ‘What are you putting your hope in, Vanessa?’

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Hard Lessons Worth Learning

I’m a planner and goal-setter by nature. I like to have all the details and all the information and sort through all the logistics. Then, I’ll brainstorm lists of possible contingencies and map out “just in case” plans.

On the surface, I like people to just see me as organized and thoughtful, but I know underneath, this attention to detail comes from a place of anxiety and a need to feel safe and secure—that “everything’s under control.”

While I read Mark’s book, I found myself returning again and again to the question he asked on page one: “WHY is waiting so hard for me?” When we take the time to consider our habits, our natural reactions, our struggles, oftentimes we will begin to see common threads, and my goal-oriented nature pointed to a clear pattern.

I would set a goal, any goal—be it physical, financial, mental, self-improvement, home improvement, some kind of achievement, you name it—and I became hyper focused on reaching that goal.
I could barely get anything else accomplished because all my mental and physical energies were concentrated on completing the goal at hand as quickly as possible.
I would become incredibly frustrated and miserable if delays or obstacles prevented progress (which were actually ‘red flags’ of something bigger going on in my heart). I forced open closed doors, overspent resources, and ignored signals I was pushing past boundaries, ignoring anything that highlighted my God given limitations.

When a goal was eventually achieved, I would bask in feelings of success…for all of about 24 hours (if even that), and I would immediately set a new goal, and the entire sequence would begin again. As a result, I’ve experienced a lot of burn-out over the years. And yet, I could never seem to break free from the cycle.

Even when I could see it take a toll on my mental and physical health, I continued striving for achievement. Why?

I realized I was chasing happiness—or what I believed could bring me happiness.
Namely meaning, purpose, and value.
A husband. Children. Financial security. These kinds of habits. That kind of home. This kind of recognition. Or those finished goals.
I always thought contentment was ‘over there’ somewhere—on the other side of waiting.
But anytime I reached one horizon, a new horizon would appear in the distance.
I thought lasting happiness could only be found if I achieved enough of the right goals, so, I never truly felt satisfied, not deep down.

But God wasn’t finished there. That was still only a symptom of the real problem. The real problem, He revealed to me, was discontentment. I wasn’t satisfied with what God had already given me—and what that really meant was that I wasn’t satisfied with God.

Oh, how that hurts to confess.

But if the Lord had truly been my everything—my source of joy—my soul’s delight—where I found meaning and purpose and value—then letting the Lord lead me at His pace would not have created anxiety or a sense of lost control. Contentment would have poured forth like water from a bowl no matter what earthly thing I had or didn’t have. Because when we have Christ, friends, we have everything.

Melissa Kruger writes in Envy of Eve, “Our joy, peace, and hope do not flow from perfect circumstances or gaining all that this world has to offer…the way to abundant life can only be found in Christ.”¹ I was expecting joy to be found in the fruit of my labor rather than in the fruit of His and ended up chasing after things and wondering why my heart continued to feel empty.

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Being Still Provides Opportunity to See God at Work

So, what can we do to embrace our seasons of waiting as opportunities instead of obstacles?
How can we use those still, quiet times for spiritual growth and intimacy with God instead of fretting over our ‘lack of productivity’?

I think it starts with building Trust in God. Trusting in His character –knowing who He is—knowing He never changes—knowing He does what He says He will do.

A likely fear the Israelites faced when standing between two impassable forces—the Red Sea and Pharoah’s army—was wondering “Will God really show up?”

They didn’t know God—like really know God—and they panicked.
I think the same fear can easily cripple us in times of uncertainty. Biblical waiting is turning our gaze from ourselves and our circumstances and looking instead to the Lord. Standing between Pharoah’s approaching army and the Red Sea, Moses shouted to the fearful people: “Don’t be afraid. Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again. The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.” (Exodus 14:13-14 NLT) Don’t focus on the enemy or the obstacles; keep your eyes on Jesus, my friends!

What I hear too often, though, from people facing challenging circumstances is “I’ll figure it out.” Instead of looking to the Lord, too often we turn to trusting our own wisdom, strength, and abilities. Sometimes it takes “coming to the end of ourselves” before finally turning to God. Why is that?

I think somewhere along the road of life we’ve learned to believe ‘I’m all I’ve got.’ Everyone else has let us down. We can trust no one but ourselves. The enemy tempts us with questions like Is He really Sovereign? Is He really Good? all the time. Learning to trust God takes time…and faith.

In Psalm 27, a prayer of triumphant faith, David urges us to “Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” Waiting on God requires strength and courage. Don’t think it’s a passive thing to wait for God—it’s quite the opposite! It’s hopeful, not futile. Expectant, not disengaged. “The Lord is good to those who wait for Him.” (Lamentations 3:25)

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He’s Got a Good Track Record!

I don’t know about you, but my memory is notoriously poor. So, it’s been an important and priceless practice of mine to rehearse God’s “track record” to myself anytime I feel anxious and out of control.
Waiting Isn’t a Waste author, Mark Vroegop, calls this “Mapping God’s Faithfulness.”
Charles Spurgeon calls it “Lighting Up the Lamps of the Past.”

Whatever you call it, spend time keeping record of the ways God has shown up for you in the past. Big ways and small ways.

One year we were going to be short one month’s expenses in our 6-month budget and began praying that God would bring Richard, my husband, just one more job—even though the season was coming to an end. (He’s an independent contractor whose work seasons are primarily fall and spring.) And out of the blue, we got a call that a power plant in New York was in emergency-need of his help.

Another time, this past June, we were pulled off the highway with a car threatening to overheat in hundred-degree weather and the Lord brought us breeze after breeze through our open windows while answering our prayers for wisdom at the same time.²

In big ways and small ways, the Lord has shown up again and again in our lives and these mile markers become “stones of remembrance” we need to remind ourselves of again and again. His steadfast love endures forever. He is a faithful, trustworthy God.

Mark Vroegop exhorts his readers to lean on what we know to be true about God when we don’t know what’s true about our lives—thoughtfully, patiently, and intentionally. When waiting on God becomes our daily, spontaneous inclination, it will reveal “a soul entirely given up to God as its all, its only joy.”³

This is my prayer for us all.
That as we spend time with the Lord reflecting on Who He is, we will find Him to be ever increasingly more and more Beautiful and Glorious—our soul’s True Joy.
That we would grow to Trust God completely and believe what scripture says about Him: that He is Light. And in Him is no darkness at all.⁴
That He is Good and no good thing does He withhold from His children.⁵
That His timing is perfect. And waiting on Him is never a waste.

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1. Melissa B. Kruger. The Envy of Eve: Finding Contentment in a Covetous World. Christian Focus Publications, 2012. p. 104

2. I wrote more about this adventure here: Burning Bushes Everywhere

3. Andrew Murray quoted by Mark Vroegop in Waiting Isn’t a Waste. Crossway, 2024. p. 84

4. See 1 John 1:5

5. See Psalm 34 and 84