Archive: The Benefits Of Waiting On God

By Margaret Therkelsen

Several benefits of waiting on God have already been mentioned throughout my last two articles. I would like to take this opportunity to point out several crucial aspects of the Holy Spirit’s ministry which become ours as we spend time in his presence.

In evangelical circles we tend to mention, almost exclusively, only one side of the Holy Spirit’s marvelous work—the miraculous and instantaneous—as in our rebirth and the subsequent infilling of the Holy Spirit. Ultimately, these two supernatural landmark experiences radically change our perspective and inner attitudes. Though we may have sought God for days, months or years, the actual spiritual, transaction frequently happens in a matter of minutes—even seconds!

I believe a grave danger lurks here, a misconception that is foreboding in its consequences. We are apt to think it is God’s only way of handling important, life-changing events. We begin to rely too much on our big experiences, neglecting to give him time each day to perform miracles equally powerful and exciting. Let me share with you just a few of the benefits the Holy Spirit continues to provide as we learn to wait on God.

• The miracle of becoming like God, being transformed into his image. For us today this means a growing dependency upon the Father, even as Jesus experienced when he says in John 5:19 ” … the Son can do nothing by himself.” This means that we do not take the initiative to run ahead of him in any area of our life (Romans 8:29 and I John 3:2).

• The miracle of cultivating with God a friendship so real and so satisfying that, of all our friends, we know him best (John 15:14).

• The miracle of a growing helplessness and dependency on God so we live not out of the flesh, but by his power and strength. He flows out from us to others, yet we come more and more into who we are in him! As we wait on God He will reveal to us his direction for our lives. For each of us, the uniqueness of our individuality in him will begin to come forth (Galatians 2:20).

• The joy of learning to listen to God’s voice, to recognize when he is speaking to us. Because his voice is so real, we can truly converse with one another. God guides us and gives us his wisdom in all of our interactions (John 10:4-5,14,27).

• A growing humility as he reveals our true self to us. As we see how desperately we need God in all areas of our life, the experience of waiting on him helps us to face ourselves under the loving gaze of Jesus (Psalm 51:6).

• A daily conviction of our sin, bringing us to repentance and confession. This is important so there are no barriers of sinful pride before him. Sin is dealt with honestly each day (I John 4:9 and John 16:7-13).

• A marvelous peace as we allow God to take more and more dominion over our thoughts and our emotional life. The fruits and gifts of the Spirit begin to express themselves through us (Isaiah 26:2).

• A greater ability to pray in line with the Father’s will because, as we wait on him, the Holy Spirit searches out the deep things of God, and prays the will of God in life’s challenges. To find his will takes time, and waiting on God affords that leisurely relationship with the Holy Spirit from which he is able to manifest God’s will (I Corinthians 2:6-16).

• A glorious comprehension of just how real and eternally precious the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are to me. For many people, the Father God is detached and impersonal, but as we wait on him we begin to experientially know him as our heavenly Father (John 14:20-21,23). Our rebirth and indwelling by the Holy Spirit are more sweetly and fully realized and lived out in our daily life. God goes about changing and renewing our inner spirit as we submit to his day by day ministrations to us. While we draw nigh to him, he draws nigh to us.

If you have never experienced the joy of waiting on God, I pray you will be strongly impressed by the Holy Spirit to begin that great journey of deepening your receptivity to him. You may find it to be the hardest part of your quiet time, because it requires stillness and quietness, a collecting of every thought around Jesus as preparation for hearing his voice, but it will be the most rewarding of your prayer habits.

“Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. How blessed are all those who wait for Him” (Isaiah 30:18).

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