A guest post by Asaya Azah, BTO’s Director of Leadership Development  

If God can do anything at any time, why does He make us wait?

In John 11, Mary and Martha find themselves disappointed as they wait for Jesus to come heal their sick brother, Lazarus. As the story goes, Lazarus dies and it appears Jesus is too late.

To say the least, Mary and Martha are hurt by His delayed response to their very urgent need. They accuse Him of taking too long and simply not caring.

Just like Mary and Martha, we can find ourselves accusing Jesus of not caring about us when He makes us wait for Him. What we fail to realize is that waiting doesn’t mean that God doesn’t care about us—it’s actually quite the opposite. Waiting is a part of His plan for our lives because through it, He develops us.

In times of waiting, we need the Lord’s wisdom to help us see the bigger picture because, as difficult as it might be, waiting does have its benefits:

1. Waiting reveals our intentions.

2. Waiting humbles us.

3. Waiting builds patience in our lives.

4. Waiting helps to transform our character.

5. Waiting shapes our intimacy and dependency upon God.

The Lord rarely does things according to our schedule, and that’s because He’s more interested in radically transforming us from the inside, rather than just simply changing our external situation.

As we lean not on our own understanding but find a way to trust His wisdom and ability to see us through, we’ll find the waiting process to be more enjoyable.

If you find yourself starting this new year with discouragement, don’t worry. Like Mary and Martha, you’re in good company. Jesus is not only coming, but He is with you right now. His faithfulness towards you can be trusted, and the hope of tomorrow will finally be a reality.

Asaya Azah is the author of Unscripted: The Journey to Self-Discovery and Dear Daughter, and she’s an amazing mentor and BTO group leader.