For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay.

Habakkuk 2:3

If you are like me, waiting is never the place you want to find yourself in. I have gotten better over the years, only because I am now blatantly aware of how waiting makes me throw tantrums. At 38 years old, this is not cute! I have come to the realization that delays are God’s way of making sure when the revelations/blessings arrive our heart is ready to receive it. As Habakkuk 2:3 says, the revelation or the blessing is for an appointed time. That means, we have to wait for it.

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Waiting is a disease for my heart because it creates anxiety, feelings of disappointment, frustration and eventually anger, to ooze in my heart. These are NOT the fruits of the spirit. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control“ Galatians 5:22-23. I remember once I was getting ready for a date. I was very young and excited. I got dressed and waited. I waited by patrolling the door and window every few minutes to see if my date arrived. With each check, my heart raced. I started off with this story because the way I behaved then hasn’t changed much today.

Now, is the time that the Lord has gotten my full attention. You see when people are the reason for my waiting, I blame them for their lack of respect, their procrastination, or say they are just not time-people. I believed my friends were the problem, not me. They are the ones that should change and be on time like they promised. But, the Lord had been trying to teach me the lesson of His divine delays.

In 2022, these lessons rang true for me. The most significant and potentially costly one was when a small drip created extreme water damage in my ceiling which caused the drywalls, the insulation and the paint on the walls to be completely destroyed. I was not pleased. As a new homeowner and a single woman, I had no idea what to do – except to call a friend. This is not the beginning of the story.

The story began a month before when my friend, who is my contractor, scheduled time in May to complete the painting for the same room. He never showed up. Neither did he call nor responded to my multiple calls. Yes, I was livid! I vowed in my heart the worse things – none of which were the fruits of the spirit. Eventually, my heart moved to forgiveness. But, it was bruised.

So a month later, when all this water damage occurred from heavy rain, I looked back at my friend’s delay and thought, all that painting would have been a complete waste since we would have to redo it. “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance” 2 Peter 3:9.

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I do not understand the Lord’s timing and I cannot predict the future. When I look back at that incident, I see that getting angry seem like a waste of energy when you think about it. I am glad that my friend never came that day. Delays are God’s way of making sure things work together for our good. “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” Romans 8:28. I am not saying this is easy, but we can all do with an attitude check to make sure we are still not throwing tantrums when God says…wait. The delays may very well be the best thing that happened to us.

So, as we approach the last quarter of the year, I hope that we stay the course. Don’t give up just yet, even if, at this late stage, you still haven’t seen what you are praying for. Just wait.