The Sacred Art of Waiting: Finding Strength in the Pause
THE URBAN OVERCOMER
KINGDOM BLOG WITH PASTOR ROB DANZ
The Sacred Art of Waiting: Finding Strength in the Pause
In a world that celebrates instant gratification and demands immediate results, there's a spiritual discipline that feels almost counter cultural: waiting. Not the passive, resigned waiting of someone stuck in traffic, but the active, faith-filled waiting that transforms us from the inside out.
The Centrality of Christ in All Things
Everything in existence orbits around one central reality: Jesus Christ. Whether people acknowledge Him or not, whether they love Him or reject Him, the entire cosmos revolves around the person of Jesus. He was there at creation. He sustains all things. And one day, every person will have a reckoning with Him—those who fired weapons and those caught in the crossfire alike.
For believers, recognizing Jesus as the center point isn't just theology—it's survival. Our flesh naturally wants to place ourselves at the center, making our own decisions and following our own paths. But the kingdom operates differently. It asks: What does Jesus want? What does He say? What has He promised?
The Gospel of John reminds us powerfully: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God... Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made." This isn't poetic exaggeration. It's the foundation of reality itself.
Advent: Celebrating Both Comings
The season of Advent celebrates two profound truths. First, it commemorates Emmanuel—God with us—when Jesus was born in that manger in Bethlehem. But Advent isn't just about looking backward at Christmas past. It's also about looking forward with anticipation to the second coming of Christ.
That future day will be both glorious and terrible. Glorious for those who have surrendered their lives to Jesus, who will finally see an end to all suffering and be united with Him forever. Terrible for those who refused His grace, who will face eternal separation from God.
For believers, this anticipation should be palpable. The best moments of this life—watching children grow, experiencing love, celebrating victories—pale in comparison to being with Jesus. That's why sacrifice makes sense. That's why we can give things up, deny ourselves, and resist worldly temptations. We have Him, and He is our treasure.
The Challenge of Waiting
Nestled within the Advent season is a theme that runs throughout Scripture: waiting. And if we're honest, most of us are terrible at it.
We sneak into closets looking for Christmas presents. We grow impatient waiting for relationships to develop. We struggle through medical diagnoses, financial pressures, wayward children, and unfulfilled callings. We're all waiting for something.
The temptation when we're forced to wait is always the same: take matters into our own hands. Fix it ourselves. Make it happen through our own effort and ingenuity. This impulse is especially strong for those wired to be problem-solvers, the ones with that "get it done" gear.
But here's the truth: godly waiting isn't a work of the flesh. It's a fruit that comes from the Spirit. We can't manufacture it through willpower. It's something God develops in us.
What Waiting Teaches Us
Waiting reminds us that God is in control. When we're forced to wait, we're confronted with a choice: will we trust in God's sovereignty, or will we act as though we need to take over for Him? The book of Job poses the question starkly: "Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?" God's point isn't to shame us, but to recalibrate our hearts to remember who we belong to.
Waiting is where our trust develops. You can't learn to trust something without testing it. Trust grows when we believe in the surety of something to uphold us in a situation. Every time we're forced to wait on God, we can either panic and rely on self-sufficiency, or we can return to the goodness of God we've already witnessed in our lives.
Waiting is where kingdom renovation happens. Consider Israel wandering in the desert for forty years. God was purifying them, preparing them for the Promised Land. Or think of David, anointed as king but waiting 15 to 22 years before the fulfillment came. During that time, God was building David's character—teaching him restraint when he could have killed Saul, developing the heart of a man after God's own heart.
Calling is wonderful, but character upholds it. God won't rush us into something we're not ready for, no matter how much we think we are.
Waiting is where our hope grows. Romans 8 describes believers groaning inwardly as we wait for the full adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. "But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience." The longer we wait for certain things—salvation of loved ones, restoration of relationships, healing—the more we're forced to either fall apart or absolutely trust Him and hope.
Waiting is where our strength grows. This seems paradoxical, but it's profoundly true. Isaiah 40 declares: "He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength... They who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength." Our strength doesn't come from trying harder; it comes from dying to ourselves and allowing the strength of heaven to work through us.
Waiting helps us avoid self-inflicted disasters. How many times have we run ahead of God and created chaos? Abraham and Sarah didn't wait for God's promise and produced Ishmael. King Saul grew impatient and offered a sacrifice he wasn't supposed to, costing him everything. The Israelites built a golden calf instead of waiting for Moses. Temporary relief often brings lasting misery.
How to Wait Well
So what do we do while we wait?
Embrace the gift of waiting. We need a rewiring in our spirits to see that waiting on Jesus is genuinely good. Psalm 25:3 promises: "None who wait for you shall be put to shame."
Slow down intentionally. In the middle of calamity, emotions and knee-jerk reactions take over. Sometimes the exactly right thing to do is... nothing. Wait. Pray. Breathe. Don't be on the ride for everything that's happening around you.
Pray, Wait, and Respond. When something is beyond you, stop and pray—even if it's just "What am I supposed to do with this?" Then wait on God. Invite others to wait with you. And when God finally opens the door, respond with joy and move forward in peace.
The Journey to the Promise
Many are eager for God's promises and calling, but very few are willing to embrace the journey He takes us on to achieve them. Waiting isn't passive resignation—it's active trust. It's warfare against our flesh. It's choosing to believe that God's timing and ways are better than our own.
In this season of Advent, as we wait to celebrate Christ's first coming and anticipate His second, may we learn the sacred art of waiting. May we discover that in the pause, in the silence, in the not-yet, God is doing something profound in us that we cannot see.
Because waiting on Jesus isn't just about what we're waiting for. It's about who we're becoming while we wait.
The Centrality of Christ in All Things
Everything in existence orbits around one central reality: Jesus Christ. Whether people acknowledge Him or not, whether they love Him or reject Him, the entire cosmos revolves around the person of Jesus. He was there at creation. He sustains all things. And one day, every person will have a reckoning with Him—those who fired weapons and those caught in the crossfire alike.
For believers, recognizing Jesus as the center point isn't just theology—it's survival. Our flesh naturally wants to place ourselves at the center, making our own decisions and following our own paths. But the kingdom operates differently. It asks: What does Jesus want? What does He say? What has He promised?
The Gospel of John reminds us powerfully: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God... Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made." This isn't poetic exaggeration. It's the foundation of reality itself.
Advent: Celebrating Both Comings
The season of Advent celebrates two profound truths. First, it commemorates Emmanuel—God with us—when Jesus was born in that manger in Bethlehem. But Advent isn't just about looking backward at Christmas past. It's also about looking forward with anticipation to the second coming of Christ.
That future day will be both glorious and terrible. Glorious for those who have surrendered their lives to Jesus, who will finally see an end to all suffering and be united with Him forever. Terrible for those who refused His grace, who will face eternal separation from God.
For believers, this anticipation should be palpable. The best moments of this life—watching children grow, experiencing love, celebrating victories—pale in comparison to being with Jesus. That's why sacrifice makes sense. That's why we can give things up, deny ourselves, and resist worldly temptations. We have Him, and He is our treasure.
The Challenge of Waiting
Nestled within the Advent season is a theme that runs throughout Scripture: waiting. And if we're honest, most of us are terrible at it.
We sneak into closets looking for Christmas presents. We grow impatient waiting for relationships to develop. We struggle through medical diagnoses, financial pressures, wayward children, and unfulfilled callings. We're all waiting for something.
The temptation when we're forced to wait is always the same: take matters into our own hands. Fix it ourselves. Make it happen through our own effort and ingenuity. This impulse is especially strong for those wired to be problem-solvers, the ones with that "get it done" gear.
But here's the truth: godly waiting isn't a work of the flesh. It's a fruit that comes from the Spirit. We can't manufacture it through willpower. It's something God develops in us.
What Waiting Teaches Us
Waiting reminds us that God is in control. When we're forced to wait, we're confronted with a choice: will we trust in God's sovereignty, or will we act as though we need to take over for Him? The book of Job poses the question starkly: "Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?" God's point isn't to shame us, but to recalibrate our hearts to remember who we belong to.
Waiting is where our trust develops. You can't learn to trust something without testing it. Trust grows when we believe in the surety of something to uphold us in a situation. Every time we're forced to wait on God, we can either panic and rely on self-sufficiency, or we can return to the goodness of God we've already witnessed in our lives.
Waiting is where kingdom renovation happens. Consider Israel wandering in the desert for forty years. God was purifying them, preparing them for the Promised Land. Or think of David, anointed as king but waiting 15 to 22 years before the fulfillment came. During that time, God was building David's character—teaching him restraint when he could have killed Saul, developing the heart of a man after God's own heart.
Calling is wonderful, but character upholds it. God won't rush us into something we're not ready for, no matter how much we think we are.
Waiting is where our hope grows. Romans 8 describes believers groaning inwardly as we wait for the full adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. "But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience." The longer we wait for certain things—salvation of loved ones, restoration of relationships, healing—the more we're forced to either fall apart or absolutely trust Him and hope.
Waiting is where our strength grows. This seems paradoxical, but it's profoundly true. Isaiah 40 declares: "He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength... They who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength." Our strength doesn't come from trying harder; it comes from dying to ourselves and allowing the strength of heaven to work through us.
Waiting helps us avoid self-inflicted disasters. How many times have we run ahead of God and created chaos? Abraham and Sarah didn't wait for God's promise and produced Ishmael. King Saul grew impatient and offered a sacrifice he wasn't supposed to, costing him everything. The Israelites built a golden calf instead of waiting for Moses. Temporary relief often brings lasting misery.
How to Wait Well
So what do we do while we wait?
Embrace the gift of waiting. We need a rewiring in our spirits to see that waiting on Jesus is genuinely good. Psalm 25:3 promises: "None who wait for you shall be put to shame."
Slow down intentionally. In the middle of calamity, emotions and knee-jerk reactions take over. Sometimes the exactly right thing to do is... nothing. Wait. Pray. Breathe. Don't be on the ride for everything that's happening around you.
Pray, Wait, and Respond. When something is beyond you, stop and pray—even if it's just "What am I supposed to do with this?" Then wait on God. Invite others to wait with you. And when God finally opens the door, respond with joy and move forward in peace.
The Journey to the Promise
Many are eager for God's promises and calling, but very few are willing to embrace the journey He takes us on to achieve them. Waiting isn't passive resignation—it's active trust. It's warfare against our flesh. It's choosing to believe that God's timing and ways are better than our own.
In this season of Advent, as we wait to celebrate Christ's first coming and anticipate His second, may we learn the sacred art of waiting. May we discover that in the pause, in the silence, in the not-yet, God is doing something profound in us that we cannot see.
Because waiting on Jesus isn't just about what we're waiting for. It's about who we're becoming while we wait.
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