The Wait Wasn’t the Lesson - What an unexpected delay revealed about my heart.

The other day, my daughter called in a to-go order for our family and was told it would be ready in 20 minutes. It took us that long to drive to the restaurant. When we arrived, the parking lot was packed. Alex went in to pick up our order while I waited in the car. Then, we waited… and waited… and waited.

Alex checked on our order several times, each time receiving a different explanation for the delay. Meanwhile, I watched as customers who arrived after us received their orders and left.

As the minutes ticked by, I could feel impatience settling in my heart. My stomach was hungry, my schedule was interrupted, and my attitude reflected both.

After about 90 minutes, my daughter asked for a refund and headed to the car. As we talked about what happened, a server stepped outside with another customer’s to-go order. I called her over, seeking to understand what happened.

She explained that our order was given to someone else due to some new employees. She apologized sincerely, asked for another chance, and offered to remake our meal at no charge.

Soon after, she returned with fresh hot food. I was grateful that we had taken a moment to understand instead of leaving frustrated.

Looking back, I realized waiting at the restaurant wasn’t the real lesson. The lesson was what the wait revealed about my heart. Ordinary delays can become invitations to seek God instead of simply enduring them.

The posture of my heart shouldn’t change simply because the object of my waiting changes. Whether I’m waiting on food, or waiting on God, my heart should still reflect trust.

If I can’t patiently wait and seek to understand Him in the everyday moments, how much more difficult will it be to trust Him during the seasons when I am waiting for His direction, His provision, or His answer?

Perhaps learning to wait well in the ordinary moments is God’s way of preparing me to wait faithfully in the extraordinary ones. In Isaiah 40:31, we find this promise:

“But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up on wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; and they shall walk and not be faint.”

Notice that the correct posture of the heart is to wait. Flying, running, and walking are not the commands - they are the results of waiting on the Lord. However, waiting isn’t inactivity; it’s dependence. 

He promises to renew our strength. We cease striving in our power and depend on His. Waiting exposes the condition of our hearts by revealing whether we are relying on our own strength or God’s.

There's an eagle that lives high atop a tree in a nest just around the lake bend. He often flies over our house, and I love watching him flap his wings a couple of times, before spreading them wide. Almost effortlessly, he glides through the air.

What a picture God gives to the believer who trusts Him. He provides the wind beneath the eagle's wings, just as He provides the strength His children need to move forward. 

Instead of striving in our own strength, we learn to rest in the strength that comes only from God. When we are strengthened by Him, we can run without growing weary. We can keep moving forward when life requires us to endure. And we can walk through the troubles of this life without fainting.

God may be calling you to soar above life’s storms or you may be running through a challenging season. You may be walking faithfully one step at a time. Whatever the season you’re in, His strength will carry you.

Waiting has a way of revealing whether you're relying on your own strength or God’s. 

Will you live by your suppositions….

Or by God’s promises?

The more I practice waiting on God, the more He proves to me this simple truth: His promises are always better than my suppositions.