The Value of Wait Time

There was a time when, if you wanted to access a movie, you went to a video store and rented something called a videotape, which also came with a reminder to “be kind and rewind.” Then DVD technology arrived, so you didn’t have to rewind anymore. Then Netflix came along, and your rental DVDs were delivered by mail. Now you can just stream the movies you want to watch.

We don’t have to wait for much of anything today. We just click it and stream it. Everything comes fast. The idea of waiting is an alien concept in a culture accustomed to immediate gratification. The Bible tells us, “But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31 NKJV).

After Nehemiah heard that the walls of Jerusalem were broken down, four months passed. He waited before he posed his question to the king: “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, I ask that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ tombs, that I may rebuild it” (Nehemiah 2:5 NKJV).

Nehemiah spent more time praying than he did building. Sometimes the Lord will give you an idea. But timing is everything. You must wait for the right moment to go to the next place. Most of us don’t like to wait, however. We like everything now.

Know this: Waiting time is never wasted time. We need a plan, and then we need to pray that God will help us with that plan—if it is the plan He has given to us. There is a time to pray, and there is a time to move.