Waiting Actively

READ: JOHN 15:5; ACTS 17:13–18:5

Waiting is the worst. Or maybe I’m just the worst at waiting. Especially in the high school years, “real” life seems far away and dreams look distant. It’s easy to think about what we want to do and how we want to serve God in the future. It’s way harder to live that out now.

A few years ago, I saw a need at my school and decided that, no matter how small my platform, I’d let God work through me to meet that need. It was amazing to see God work as I stood on a literal stage (the smallest stage on campus!) and used the talents He had given me to point my peers to Jesus. I’d never felt more humbled to be used by the Creator.

Paul found himself in a similar situation in Acts 17. He’d reached Athens and was waiting for his friends (verse 16). In other words, even Paul, one of the most famous people in the New Testament, knew what it was to wait! But, rather than just sit around, Paul used the marketplace to tell people about Jesus. He was waiting actively.

Yeah, sometimes waiting is hard. But even in the waiting, God is working. Waiting actively means living life with Jesus, being attentive to His leading no matter where we are or what season we’re in—trusting that He is working even when we don’t see it.

No matter what you’re waiting on, you can serve Jesus right where you are. You can use the crumbly floor of your cafeteria, the gravelly road as you wait for the bus, and even the carpet of your living room. Whatever season God has you in, wait actively. Know that He is working in your life right now. As you abide in Jesus, you never know what He’ll do through you! • Sarah Rexford

• What are you waiting on in this season? How might this season of your life change if you started living like you believe Jesus is working during the waiting?

• It’s easy for anxiety to creep in as we wait. Do you have any favorite Bible verses or passages that show Jesus’s faithfulness? If not, who are trusted Christians in your life who could help you find some? How could you set aside time to ponder Scriptures like these in times of waiting?

For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven. Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NLT)