Embrace The Waiting

Everyday we wake up and wait.. wait for our coffee to be done brewing, for that package we really want to be delivered, or for the day to fly by so we can crawl back into our beds.. 

There’s something about being patient that makes all of us.. impatient. 

Sometimes we have more serious situations we are waiting on God to answer. Those prayers we pray when we are alone, filled with fear and anxiety.. begging Him to deliver a miracle.

For that call about a health diagnosis.. 

For that positive pregnancy test.. 

For your husband to finally nourish his relationship with Christ.. 

For that new job you’ve been searching for..

I’ve never been a patient gal, and in my waiting season I can tell you not much has changed. I would be lying if I told you that I have handled it well, because the truth is.. some days I don’t. Some days I get angry as to why God hasn’t answered some of my prayers. There have been countless nights I have found myself laying in my bed crying out to Him in anger and blaming Him for all that is complicated in my life, feeling as if He abandoned me. It was in those nights that I found myself realizing that through yearning for unanswered prayers to be answered.. I was nourishing and building a solid foundation with God, a foundation built on trusting in Him and His timing. I started to lean into Him more and more, and in that created a loving relationship between Him and I. 

How do we find purpose in the waiting?

1. Trusting in God’s timing.

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven

Ecclesiastes 3:1

Waiting on God is one of the hardest parts about being a Christian in my opinion, and to trust in His plans for your life over what you feel is best. It’s so easy to slip into that need to control situations and the need to relinquish them to God. Even when it’s hard to believe, God’s timing is perfect and He is never late. No matter how much you try to control your situation, God’s plans will always prevail. 

Waiting is not a punishment, more often than not.. It’s preparation. 

Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord! 

Psalm 27:14 

2. Pray and seek God continually. 

Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful

Colossians 4:2 

Waiting on God doesn’t have to be wasteful, and it should be filled with purpose. We should be praying and seeking God everyday of our lives, and when we are waiting on God for something, we are given the opportunity to seek Him in a deeper and meaningful way. You can choose to lean on Him, and trust in His plans.. Even if those plans are beyond your understanding. Is this easy? Not always. I have found myself questioning God plenty of times and feeling as if He is a million miles away.. Truth is.. He was next to me the entire time. He is next to you too, even if you don’t think He is. 

Whatever you are waiting on, take this time to lean into Him and allow Him to increase your faith. 

3. Remember His past faithfulness.

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness 

‭‭Lamentations‬ ‭3‬:‭22-23

This morning I woke up with worry.. about almost every area of my life. My faith, my relationship with God, my marriage and my husbands faith, my children and if they will grow up to be God fearing. I worried about our finances and all the stresses that come with that. I felt myself going down a hole of worry that slowly turned into anger, not because I was actually angry.. but because I felt out of control. I felt that because parts of my life don’t feel comfortable right now, that my life was falling apart and that all hope was lost. And then I realized.. God is faithful.. even if I feel faithless. His mercies are new every morning. I’m able to sit with Him in the middle of my worries. He is with me, always. He reminded me that He is faithful. He hasn’t lost a battle yet, big or small. The battle has already been won. He is the same yesterday, today, AND TOMORROW. 

So today if you feel faithless remember.. HE IS FAITHFUL. 

4. Renewing your strength in the Lord. 

So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. 

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭4‬:‭16-18 

Renewing your strength in the Lord isn’t a one time thing, it’s an everyday action. It’s so easy when in a waiting season to feel weary of what will happen next, you can slowly slip into this feeling of weariness and hopelessness. It is exhausting and leaves you feeling even worse than you were before. Waiting doesn’t have to be built within weakness, we can find strength in God. We were never meant to carry life’s battles alone.. or even at all. We are meant to release control over our lives and let Him do the heavy lifting. He is your strength when you feel like you can’t go on another second. He will carry you through all of life’s troubles. 

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. 

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭11‬:‭28-30

4. Lean on your community. 

Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another. 

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭27‬:‭17‬ ‭ESV‬‬

It’s not easy to be vulnerable with people, even with your brother or sister in Christ. A lot of that stems from pride and looking weak in front of the people around you. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve cried on my way to church and tried to hide the tears so no one would ask what was wrong. There were times I have completely broken down in the middle of a Bible study with a big group of women and in the middle of a coffee date with a sister in Christ. Over time I have learned that God has placed these women in my life for a reason, they are here to not only build me up, but for me to build them up as well. We aren’t meant to do life alone, God has given us community and friendships for a reason and we should be good stewards of the people He places in our lives.

This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. 

‭‭John‬ ‭15‬:‭12‬-‭13‬ ‭ESV‬

I leave with this.. if you are going through a hard season, or a season of waiting.. 

God has not left you, He’s with you at this very moment. Draw near to Him and He will draw near to you. Your waiting is not a punishment and He hasn’t forgotten you. 

I pray this reading blesses you.