Daily Devotional Series: Wilderness and Waiting

Mar 24, 2025

Day 15 Month 3

Matt 26:1-16, Romans 9:19-33, Psalm 62, Deut 1-2

Waiting on God

"For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him. He is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken." – Psalm 62:5-6

Ever wonder why God had the Israelites wander in the wilderness for forty years? It seems extreme to me.

I understand that this time served practically as a way for one generation to pass on so the next could inherit the promised land. But why was it so important that the former generation not be the ones to receive it?

The consequence of their wilderness wandering was rooted in their lack of faith. When the time came to enter and conquer the land God had given them, they acted out of fear rather than faith.

They grumbled, complained, and even longed to return to the slavery and bondage of Egypt. And God's response? Wilderness.

The wilderness was a time of refining and testing—a season of wandering and waiting. Through it, God cultivated in them a dependence on Him, born out of humility and the realization that He alone was their security.

This seems to be a recurring theme in God’s sanctifying work: the practice of waiting.

The Struggle of Waiting

Waiting is not easy. Whether it’s waiting in line, waiting for a package, or waiting to hear if you got the job, waiting often feels futile.

No matter how hard we try, we can’t speed it up or force an outcome. That’s because waiting is not about effort or ability; it depends on something outside of us.

It is one of the purest experiences of feeling out of control—and we abhor it for that reason.

Yet God calls us to wait because of what it produces in us. Just as Israel’s time in the wilderness was meant to refine their faith and deepen their dependence on Him, our seasons of waiting serve the same purpose.

God uses them to teach us trust, cultivate patience, and shift our hope from ourselves to Him.

Choosing to Wait

But here’s the thing: we don’t have to wait to wait.

Though God will inevitably lead us into seasons of waiting, we can also intentionally embrace waiting as a spiritual practice. If the purpose of waiting is to recognize our lack of control, then surrendering control is a way to enter into it willingly.

Consider the woman in Matthew 26:7:

"A woman came up to him with an alabaster flask of very expensive ointment, and she poured it on his head as he reclined at table."

She took a posture of waiting—not by passively doing nothing, but by surrendering something of great value.

In contrast, the disciples were frustrated by her act of dependence because they wanted control; they saw the ointment as a resource to be managed, not an offering to be poured out.

Waiting always comes down to one thing: accepting that you are not in control.

Faith in the Waiting

If you are not in control, then for any sense of security, you must put your trust in something—or Someone—who is.

This is the essence of faith. It’s why Paul says in Romans 9:30 that the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, obtained it.

The contrast between the Jews and Gentiles in this passage is a contrast between control and surrender.

One path strives to earn right standing with God through effort. The other receives it by trusting Christ, who has already secured it.

The first is impatient and self-reliant. The second is humble, resting in the persistent and present waiting on God.

How Will You Wait?

So let this be our response: do not despise waiting.

Whether it’s waiting in line, waiting on a phone call, waiting for a job offer, waiting for healing, waiting on the salvation of a loved one, waiting on the conception of a child, or waiting for the day we see Jesus face to face—waiting is where we renew the joy of our salvation.

In those moments when we feel out of control, let’s turn them into opportunities for reflection.

Let’s remember the wonder of our salvation: once lost, hopeless, helpless, and powerless, yet rescued by the grace of God through faith in His promises, kept through Christ and His work on the cross.

What is something you are waiting on right now? How might God be using this time to deepen your trust in Him? What could you give up as an act of willingly waiting?