What Are You Doing While You Wait?

Read: Exodus chapter 32

Waiting is hard. Maybe you've been praying for a prodigal son or daughter to come home. Maybe you're waiting for healing, a new job, clarity about the future, or simply wondering why God seems quiet right now. Most of us don't mind waiting if we know exactly how long it's going to take. It's the uncertainty that gets us. That's what struck me this week as I studied Exodus 32.

The Israelites had watched God do impossible things: They saw the plagues in Egypt, walked through the Red Sea on dry ground, every morning God fed them, every night He guided them. They had experienced more of God's power than most people ever will! Then Moses went up the mountain. Forty days doesn't sound like that long when you read it in one sentence. But when you're standing at the bottom of the mountain wondering what's happening, forty days can feel like forever. Instead of trusting the God they couldn't see, they made a god they could.

I've always thought the golden calf was the story. But the more I read it, the more I realized the calf wasn't really the problem. It was what happened in their hearts before the calf was ever made. Waiting exposed what they trusted. Honestly, I see myself in that more than I'd like to admit. When God seems slow, I start looking for ways to speed things up. I want to solve the problem, control the outcome, and figure it out on my own. My "golden calves" probably don't look like theirs, but they can be just as revealing. Sometimes my idol is control. Sometimes it's comfort. Sometimes it's wanting immediate answers instead of trusting God's timing.

The truth is, we all worship something. The question isn't whether we worship. The question is whether Jesus still has first place. What I love about Exodus 32 is that the story doesn't end with Israel's failure, it ends with a mediator. Moses stands between God and the people and pleads for mercy. It's one of the clearest pictures in the Old Testament of what Jesus would one day do perfectly. Moses was willing to give himself for the people, but he couldn't save them--only Jesus could.

Jesus stepped into our place, carried our sin, satisfied God's justice, and now lives to intercede for us. When we fail, He doesn't tell us to find our own way back. He becomes the way back. So if you're in a season of waiting, don't waste it; let God use it. Waiting has a way of revealing what's really in our hearts, but it also has a way of deepening our trust if we'll keep our eyes on Jesus. Maybe today is a good day to ask a simple question: "What am I reaching for while I'm waiting on God?" Whatever your answer is, Jesus is inviting you to trust Him again. He's worth the wait.

Spend time each day asking the Holy Spirit to reveal anything that has quietly taken first place in your heart.

Pray through Psalm 139:23-24 each morning:

"Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting."

Choose one practical step this week that intentionally places Jesus back at the center. That may mean setting aside extra time in prayer, putting away distractions, practicing generosity, or surrendering an area you've been trying to control.