Life includes lots of waiting periods. After you get your learner’s permit, you have to wait a certain amount of time before you can test for your actual driver’s license. When you’ve planted a garden, you have to wait for your seeds to sprout and grow. If you’re baking bread, it takes a while for the yeast to expand. After taking the ACT, you must wait several weeks for results to be revealed. When you have surgery, you have to wait for your body to build back up its strength before reentering life at full speed. If you’re in the middle of applying for a new job, navigating legal issues or buying a house, waiting periods are unavoidable.

The Bible includes lots of waiting periods, too. Just look at the chapters in the Bible that chronicle the years leading up to Jesus’ public ministry, and you’ll see several. Elizabeth had a pregnancy waiting period as she carried John the Baptist who would prepare the way for Jesus. Her husband, Zechariah, has a forced waiting period after he questioned if his wife could really have a baby at her old age. God’s angel messenger called out his lack of belief, and Zechariah became unable to speak until little John was born. And even after the angel told Zechariah about his wife’s pregnancy, Zechariah had a waiting period before he could return home and share the news with his wife! How so? He was in the middle of fulfilling a priestly service at the temple when the angel made its appearance, and Zechariah completed his duty period before returning home and telling his wife what he’d learned. 

Of course, Mary’s pregnancy was another waiting period that probably came to your mind. But here’s one that maybe didn’t… Both John the Baptist and Jesus went through waiting periods before they began their ministries. Each young man had a specific, defined calling from God, but neither rushed right into it. Here’s what Scripture says about John:

And the child grew and became strong in spirit; and he lived in the wilderness until he appeared publicly to Israel. -Luke 1:80

And here’s what we read about Jesus during his growing up years: 

Then he went down to Nazareth with [his parents] and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man. -Luke 2:51-52

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted[a] by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry. -Luke 4:1-2

John and Jesus did not jump into the public eye. Both ended up there in God’s perfect timing, but they each spent years growing up under the watchful eye and careful instruction of their parents, and they both spent time in the wilderness before placing themselves in the spotlight. 

As I thought about all of the waiting periods recorded in the Bible before Jesus’ ministry began, I stopped to think about the purpose of waiting periods—then and now. 

Waiting periods draw us nearer to God. Elizabeth and Mary surely drew near to God during their pregnancies. Both were experiencing the improbable (or humanly impossible) in their bodies. Surely they had questions, worries, uncertainties and struggles. And surely, they drew close to God for reassurance, comfort, peace and strength. When we are forced to wait, we are also forced to depend on God. We keep our eyes on Him so that we’ll know when the waiting period is over, right? With our eyes, hearts and minds on Him, we are seeing Him work, hearing His voice and learning more about His carefully orchestrated activity in our lives. How can you be more intentional about turning your focus to the Lord as you wait? Just imagine how He might draw you to Himself if you do.

Waiting periods offer protection. Sometimes God calls us to something that we’re not quite ready for yet. If we jumped right in, we might get hurt or buried. A waiting period protects us from premature consequences that could possibly be avoided. John and Jesus both spent time in the wilderness before their public ministries began, and it seems that this time likely protected them from what could have transpired if they jumped into the public eye too soon—before God’s appointed hour. How are you being protected as you walk through a waiting period? You may not even know what all God is protecting you from. 

Waiting periods help us grow and develop. Just like a baby grows in its mother’s womb and a new driver develops her skills while waiting for the all-clear to take her driver’s license test, we grow and develop in God’s providential care while we wait. We have no choice but to be patient and keep our eyes on God in anticipation of whatever it is we’re waiting on to come to fruition. Among other things, waiting helps us mature in trust, patience and belief that God will be faithful. How have you seen God mature you through a waiting period in the past? You can trust Him to do the same today and in the future, too.

God’s timeline for your life is perfect. Even when it feels like you’ve been waiting for too long, He can be trusted. He will keep His promises, and He will bring every waiting period in your life to a perfect conclusion—even if that looks different from what you originally expected. He won’t get tired of waiting on you to come around to His plan and purpose, and He’ll never forget that you’re in a holding pattern (if you are). He will strengthen you as you wait, and He will draw you to Himself. 

Zechariah, Elizabeth, Mary, John the Baptist and Jesus all went through significant waiting periods in their lives. Surely it wasn’t always easy! Surely they had days or moments where they had to stop and remind themselves to trust in God and wait patiently on Him. These folks we read about waited on God and played invaluable roles in His continuing story of redemption. And guess what? You are invited to do the exact same. God chooses to use people in His plan to reach the world. He can use you! He might be preparing you right now—as you wait. So just keep waiting. Let your waiting period draw you nearer to God. Let it protect you. Let it grow and develop you into the person God created you to be. Take heart, and just keep waiting.

Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles;  they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. -Isaiah 40:28-31