Hearing your name called during the NFL Draft must be an incredible feeling. But waiting for a team to select you must be extremely agonizing.
These talented players dream about making it to the league and are told they are good enough to be picked. However, many of them not only wait but wait longer than they expect.
Each year it's difficult for the players who anticipate going in an earlier round and then their name isn't called as soon as they imagined. Unfortunately, they end up waiting…and waiting…and waiting some more!
Then there are other highly touted and accomplished college players who for some reason slip into the later part of the first round. Although it's hard to feel sorry for them when they're a first-rounder, knowing all eyes are on them as they wait, can't be easy.
Over the years, there have been some big names who expected to go early and ended up waiting to hear their name called: Aaron Rodgers (24th), Randy Moss (21st), Brady Quinn(22nd), and Dan Marino (27th) are part of that group.
Even though waiting usually means they end up with a better team and might only wait for 20-something picks, they still have to fight against impatience, worry, and disappointment. They quickly realize they can’t force a team to select them and must humbly accept they aren’t in control.
Just like an NFL draftee, we understand that waiting for something can be brutal. Most of us are either waiting for something right now or have just finished a season of waiting. Of course, we're all waiting for the worldwide pandemic to subside!
No one likes to wait, but when we properly do so, our faith and trust in God significantly grow. We learn patience and humility amid the uncertainty and surrender to the fact that there is so much out of our control.
It's usually not until after we get through the delay that we're able to look back on our times of waiting with gratefulness for the work God did in our hearts.
Although God has the power to answer our prayers immediately, He uses these delays to strengthen our dependence on Him. As our dependence grows, so does our love for Him. We turn to God for comfort, hope, and peace.
Romans 12:12 (NLT) tells us to "Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying."
When we learn to wait with patience and hope, there is freedom in letting go and trusting that God’s decisions and plans are better than our own. There is peace in knowing that He’s in control and His purposes are more important than our desire for quickness.
The worst thing we can do is try and speed up God’s work and perfect timing. Instead, we need to wait patiently for Him to reveal His answers and even rejoice while we're anticipating them.
Psalm 27:13-14 (NLT) says: “Yet I am confident I will see the Lord’s goodness while I am here in the land of the living. Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.”
As hard as it may be, let’s wait patiently for the Lord and remember to look back on how much we grew. Let's be thankful that God allows us to wait...and uses that time for our good.
I’m Bryce Johnson and you can UNPACK that!
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, please give me the strength to wait patiently. On the hard days, help me to lean on You instead of showing impatience. Thank you for using seasons of waiting to develop my character and deepen my reliance on You. I am grateful for Your goodness and faithfulness. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.Discussion Questions for PACKS:
In what ways have you grown during a season of waiting?
What are you specifically waiting for right now?
What is the hardest part of the wait?
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