THE WAITING IS THE HARDEST PART

"Now there was long war between the house of Saul and the house of David: but David waxed stronger and stronger, an the house of Saul waxed weaker and weaker. And unto David were sons born in Hebron: and his firstborn was Amnon, of Ahinoam the Jezreelitess; And his second, Chileab, of Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite; and the third, Asaolm the son of Maacah the daughter of Talmai king of Geshur; And the fourth, Adonijah the son of Haggith; and the fifth, Shephatiah the son of Abital; And the sixth, Ithream, by Eglah David's wife. These were born to David in Hebron."
2 Samuel 3:1-5


We hate waiting, yet God tells us that waiting only strengthens our dependence upon Him.
How many people truly love to wait? I doubt anybody loves standing in the checkout line for much more than two minutes. We complain when we are forced to wait in rush hour traffic. We even dislike waiting for appointments or other professional meetings. We've become accustomed to the instant results age in which we live. Search results are instant, text messages are sent quickly, and even dinner can be made in less than five minutes in the microwave. Grocery stores have self-checkout lines that customers can breeze through; banks have drive-thru banking for hurried patrons; and I've even seen a drive-thru wedding chapel! Our society seems driven to find faster, more efficient ways of doing nearly everything.
We've become accustomed to getting things immediately, but what happens when we are forced to wait? How do we react when results aren't immediate? Many people complain, murmur, or even lash out at others connected to the situation. Many times Christians take that same "immediate result" mentality into their Christian life. They have a problem, seek God for help, and expect an answer right away. But God's timetable for results isn't the same as ours.
One of the biggest challenges in the life of a Christian is learning to wait on God. We hate waiting, yet God tells us that waiting only strengthens our dependence upon Him. He tells us time and again in His word that His answers often take a period of waiting:

Psalm 27:14- "Wait on the LORD; be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD."

Psalm 37:7- "Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prosporeth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass."

Isaiah 40:31-"But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint."

David learned the importance of waiting throughout his life-he waited in his father's fields for his chance to make a difference, he waited in the hills of Israel for the day he would be crowned king, and he waited in Hebron for God's perfect timing. Second Samuel 3 shows David waiting in Hebron for seven and a half years after Saul's death. David was going to be king over Israel, but God had him wait on His perfect timing.
God has great things in store for your life, but you must endure a period of waiting before God's plan is revealed. What would have happened had David tired of waiting in his father's shepherd fields? Had David given up, he would've missed the blessing of leading Israel to follow God.
If you give up during times of waiting, you are giving up God's eternal blessings on your life. God has so much good waiting for you. He wants to richly bless you, yet you must patiently wait on His timing. Don't carry over the immediate result mentality into your Christian life, but strengthen your dependence on God by patiently waiting on Him.