Waiting for God(ot)

There's a play by Samuel Beckett called Waiting for Godot. The two main characters spend the entire play waiting for the arrival of Godot, but (spoilers) he never shows up. The title character never makes it onto the stage at all -- I guess he doesn't care the play is named after him.

Sometimes it feels to us like we wait for God, but He never shows up; our lives are a version of Waiting for Godot (only two letters different, after all). We pray and wait, pray and wait. Yet nothing ever seems to happen. Our prayers can go on for decades -- last a lifetime -- and yet they still go seemingly unanswered. (Of course, we know God answers all prayers; the answer is just sometimes "no" or "keep waiting.")

In those moments of seemingly interminable waiting, I want you to remember two things. First, 2 Peter 3:8-9 teaches us God always keeps His promises -- in His time. I think we all know from prior experiences our timing is not always God's timing. He often moves earlier or later than expected. Second, I want to pass along the words of Frederick Douglass, escaped slave: "I prayed for freedom for twenty years but received no answer until I prayed with my legs." Sometimes we wait on God, and, all the while, God is waiting on us.

If you feel like God won't God show up, keep praying anyway. Look for things you can do to prepare for His response -- or to follow through with what He's already given you. Remember, above all, God hears and answers prayers. God is not Godot. He will show up -- at just the right time, in just the right ways. Because He loves His children.