Explanations for Why We Wait on God

“This vision is for a future time. It describes the end, and it will be fulfilled. If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed.” Habakkuk 2:3 (NLT)

“The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9 (NIV)

I’ve been talking with a couple of friends recently about the draining process of having to wait on God. I’ve written before on this topic and of how it can sometimes seem like God has forgotten us or abandoned us as we’re in this waiting limbo. In that post I gave some encouragement and discussed some strategies to endure the process while we wait on God. I also shared a post with some helpful scriptures for waiting on God.

Today, I thought I’d tackle the subject from a different angle. Sometimes it can be helpful to know WHY we’re having to wait. To give some possible explanations for that, I’m going to share an analogy that I heard many years ago that has helped me tremendously. I’ve re-listened to this message many times since, and I also use it as part of my teaching lessons at Glory House. Additionally, I often refer this same message to friends…in fact I referred it again just this past week!

I love coming up with analogies to teach concepts and principles…but unfortunately I can’t take ANY credit for this one. It’s from a message that Pastor Steven Furtick did on May 5, 2012 at Elevation Church titled, “Waiting Room: Hubs & Spokes, Holding Patterns & the Supernatural Dateline”.^[1] (You can watch the message here.) It’s such a good illustration that explains the process of waiting so much more clearly. The analogy compares our wait on God to some things you might experience when flying.

I’m going to summarize his main points, adding in some examples and expounding a bit so that I’m not repeating his exact message because I’d really like you to go have a listen for yourself!

Hubs and Spokes—We don’t always get a direct flight

The first comparison has to do with the hubs and spokes systems of airlines. When flying, there are times and locations where we cannot get a direct flight to our destination. Airlines have you catch connecting flights through their hubs in order to maximize their profits and efficiency. In these situations we are forced to fly somewhere else before we can get to where we’re going.

Occasionally these connections make absolutely no sense! There are times when they seem to take us in the opposite direction of where we want to go. For example, I recently took a trip to Washington D.C.  When researching flights, there was one airline that would have had us flying from Tulsa to Denver then on to D.C. That’s about 700 miles northwest of Tulsa, when we were wanting to fly to the east coast. It makes no sense!

Sometimes our indirect paths make no sense

Well similarly, God takes us on routes like these from time to time. We know we want to get to a certain destination (answer, outcome, etc.), but as Pastor Steven Furtick says, “There are some places God wants to take us where there are no direct flights. We have to go through a hub in order to get there.”

It might even seem like God is taking us in the wrong direction (like to Denver instead of D.C.). However, God is doing this on purpose…not because it’s more efficient but because He might be trying to do something inside of us in the process. Maybe we need to learn patience. Maybe there’s a person in “Denver” that we need to help or to receive help from. “Denver” might have some important lesson that we need to be taught.

One explanation for our wait on God might be that there is something that God wants to do in us before we arrive at our destination. In other words, you’ve probably heard it said that “God is preparing you for what He has prepared for you.”

I’ve seen this play out when I’ve prayed for an unsaved loved one. The “destination” is for them to accept and personally know Jesus, but when I started praying for them they seemed to get even worse than before I started praying! Wrong direction! However, I learned not to fret—that probably meant my prayers were working because conviction produces friction. God was doing something in that person before they arrived at their destination. 

Holding Patterns—Our landing might get delayed

When flying, sometimes the pilot or air traffic control might delay the plane because the conditions aren’t right for landing. It could be the runways are overcrowded, and they need to make room for us first. There might be inclement weather or even a dangerous situation. Every so often we can actually even see where we want to land, but we just can’t get there!

Likewise, God might put us in holding patterns. We might even be within arm’s length or see what we want or where we want to be. It’s right outside of our grasp, but we can’t quite get there. We just keep hovering round and round without landing at our destination.

God might be delaying our landing because there is something happening “on the ground” from which God is trying to protect us. He might still be making some preparations for us. Maybe it’s somebody else that is the holdup. God might be working on somebody else that isn’t quite ready for us to arrive. It might be that we are where we need to be, but others aren’t.

Then again, maybe we are the ones not ready yet. It could be that we can’t sustain what it is that God has for us if we get it too early. Our maturity level might not be where it needs to be yet to be able to handle what is coming our way. Could it be that God might even be protecting us from ourselves?

“I still have much to tell you, but you cannot yet bear to hear it.” John 16:12 (BSB)

Pastor Steven Furtick says that “God doesn’t put us in a holding pattern to punish us but to protect us.” 

Supernatural Date Line—God is already in our tomorrow

When flying long distances we cross time zones, and then when flying extremely long distances we eventually cross the International Date Line (the imaginary line on Earth’s surface defining the boundary between one day and the next). Flying across the line can, in essence, put you into the “future” or into tomorrow even though 24 hours have not passed. Pastor Steven Furtick told a cute story about this in his message. 🙂

God lives in a different time zone than we do and exists outside of time and space. He always was and always will be. God is also omniscient and knows the future.

“…Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.” Revelation 4:8 (NIV)

“Only I can tell you the future before it even happens. Everything I plan will come to pass, for I do whatever I wish.” Isaiah 46:10 (NLT)

When we wait on God, we need to remember this about Him. He already knows the future and is already there preparing the way for us. God is already in our tomorrow because He is across the Supernatural Date Line. We might be waiting because God already knows what is coming, and we need to trust His judgement to get us there at the proper time.

If we’ll let Him and if we’ll look to His Word, He will give us promises for our future and tell us about things yet to come. We can then stand on those promises while we wait on God to work on our behalf.

“When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future.” John 16:13 (NLT) 

God is already in our tomorrow.

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Take Some Practical Steps to Understand Why You Need to Wait on God:

• First realize that you may not get a direct flight to your destination—You may have to go through a hub.

It might even look like you’re going the wrong way at times. Just realize that God has a purpose for this indirect route He is taking you on, and learn to trust that there is a reason even if it doesn’t make sense to you now. Think about times where this has been true for you before. Have you been in a situation where a “detour” ended up being the best thing for you?

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart; and lean not to your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6 (AKJV)

• Secondly, be patient with the holding patterns—there might be delays because the conditions might not be right yet for you to arrive at your destination.

God may be doing a work in you to get you ready for what He has for you…OR He may be working and waiting on someone else even if you are ready. Remember that God is protecting you, not punishing you. He is also NOT late. His timing is perfect. Thank Him for not giving you what is not yet ready or what you may not be able to handle yet.

“This vision is for a future time. It describes the end, and it will be fulfilled. If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed.” Habakkuk 2:3 (NLT)

“The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9 (NIV)

• Finally, know that God is already in your tomorrow because He is across the Supernatural Date Line—He makes you wait because He sees what’s coming and wants the timing to be perfect.

He already knows what’s coming in your future. Look for and listen to the promises the Holy Spirit tells you or shares with you through God’s Word. Find a promise for your future (a bible verse that pertains to your situation) to stand on while you wait on God. Then remind yourself that God is not slow in keeping that promise (see previous verse).

“When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future.” John 16:13 (NLT)

Have you experienced any hubs, holding patterns or God speaking to you about your future from across the Supernatural Date Line? Tell us about it by leaving a comment below.

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1. Furtick, Steven. “Waiting Room: Hubs & Spokes, Holding Patterns & the Supernatural Dateline.” Elevation Church, 5 May 2012, elevationchurch.org/. ↑