Part 1
God did not immediately part the Red Sea when the Israelites arrived at the crossing point. Instead, he told them to set up camp and wait.
This delay gave the Egyptian army time to catch up with them and threaten their newfound freedom.
Only then did God part the waters, allowing the Israelites to scurry to safety.
Waiting is a common element of God’s plans. His provision is often a messy, excruciating, eleventh-hour, last-gasp, skin-of-the-teeth affair.
God may ask us to wait to ensure an optimal outcome, to protect us from hidden dangers and temptations, or to accomplish something we cannot see.
He may hold off until we are ready, willing, and able to move in a different direction.
He may stand by until we have completely subordinated our will to his and fully committed ourselves to his priorities.
However, as the Red Sea crossing illustrates, God sometimes directs us to wait so he can contrast his incredible power with the futility of our self-sufficiency.
Part 2
God says he is good to those who wait for him.
We prefer to believe this declaration means that God will reward us with physical health and material abundance if we endure our hardships with patience and virtue.
Instead, it means that those who wait for his deliverance will learn anew that he is good.
God says that as we draw near to him in times of distress and wait for the outcomes he produces, he will reveal aspects of his excellence we had not fully grasped.
We will understand at a deeper level that his love is indeed inexhaustible, unchanging, unwavering, ever-present, and utterly dependable.
We will realize that he truly is who he claims to be—our refuge, comforter, redeemer, deliverer, and friend.
We will learn that when temporal sources of contentment fade, God himself is enough to satisfy our soul.
Part 3
A young married couple was thrilled to learn they would soon become first-time parents. They could hardly wait for their son’s arrival, wishing his due date were tomorrow. They thanked God when he was born on schedule and in good health.
Midway through her second pregnancy, the mother suddenly developed health issues. The father hurriedly drove her to the pediatrician’s office for an emergency examination. The doctor said the mother’s condition had unduly stressed their unborn daughter. He recommended delivering the baby that day via cesarean section, even though she might experience preterm morbidities.
Shocked by the distressing news, the couple asked the pediatrician for a few minutes alone to consider their options. As they prayed for guidance, the mother’s health suddenly improved, easing the baby’s stress. The doctor then prescribed bed rest for the remainder of her pregnancy and sent them home.
Thereafter, even though the mother’s bed rest complicated their lives, the couple thanked God each day their daughter remained in utero, knowing that meant she was more likely to be born without preterm morbidities. Their patience paid off when the mother gave birth to a healthy daughter on her scheduled due date.
The couple had impatiently waited for their son’s birth because they were eager to become parents, but they were happy to wait for their daughter’s arrival because they wanted what was best for her.
Someday, either later in this life or early in the next, we will look back and understand why God delayed the delivery of the specific blessings we particularly desired.
We will see the goodness he produced or the pitfalls we avoided in the interim, and be grateful that he had our best interests at heart all along, even when we thought otherwise.
