“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

Isaiah 55:8-9

My daughter cracks me up with all the things she says. One of those phrases is, wait . . . what? This is what she says every time she misses something or wants something repeated.

We live in a society that doesn't like to wait on anything. We don't have to wait on much, so many things are immediate. Of course we have fast food, but now any amount of information is at our fingertips. We can reach loved ones who live miles away in seconds by text. No more waiting three days to receive the letter. We don't even have to wait for someone to get home to catch her on the phone. Immediate answers, immediate responses.

Waiting on God's timing and His perfect will can be difficult. Wait . . . what?

We have all experienced waiting on God. I have experienced a situation in which I felt that I heard from The Lord. Then the door seemed to shut regarding this situation. Wait . . .what? I was very confused. Was I wrong? I didn't know. At the time I pressed into God, listening and learning, seeking Him and soaking in Him. I purposed to be content in whatever God had set out for me. Then a few years later, that original circumstance in which I believed I had heard His Voice resurfaced. That door swung open, and I am now walking through it. Why now? Why not then?

What was God teaching me in the meantime? A lot. I learned that my timing is not always God's timing. Maybe God was protecting me from something at the time. Maybe I was not ready for the task. Maybe it was the journey and the growth between that God was after for me. Whatever the reason or purpose, there was truth for me to learn in the process, and it was worth the wait.

Lord, help us to remember that You have our best in mind, and teach us to trust in You.

Julie Smith