How long can you wait? That’s a mark of maturity. Children, of course, have a hard time waiting. They have not learned the difference between “No” and “Not yet.” If you tell them “Not yet,” they think that means it’s not going to happen. But as we get older, we learn that’s not the case.

Spiritual maturity is the ability to wait. Faith is waiting for the answer, understanding that sometimes the answer is delayed.

In God’s plan, timing is so crucial. Many times it may be the right thing, but it’s just the wrong time. You don’t want to get behind God, and you don’t want to get ahead of God. You want to be just in his time, because God’s timing is perfect in your job, in your marriage, in your education, in your retirement, in an answer to prayer—in every area of your life.

Look at Scripture and see how many times the Israelites had to wait on God. While they waited, God was preparing them. The children of Israel waited to be set free from slavery in Egypt for 400 years. That’s a long time in anybody’s book! Even when Moses came on the scene, the people had to wait another 80 years—40 years for him to grow up in Pharaoh’s palace and another 40 years for him to go to the backside of the desert to be trained. Moses came back at 80 years of age and finally led the people out of Egypt. God’s timing is perfect!

Psalm 40:1 says, “I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry” (NIV).

How you respond to the waiting rooms of life is evidence of your faith.