Psalm 37:7-8 (NLT)
Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act. Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes. Stop being angry! Turn from your rage! Do not lose your temper— it only leads to harm
Explanation: Waiting on God’s timing is so hard. I know I have had numerous experiences in my life where God’s answer to my prayer has been wait. It’s not a no, but as a human it is so hard, because it means it will not happen in my timing and the way I had planned. I know for me, often in those seasons it is so easy to become angry and filled with despair. We think we know the right moment and time for all things, so we get upset when we think God is keeping us from something that will indeed be for our good, or something that is a deep desire of our hearts. In these moments we can feel so alone, rejected, left out, and forgotten. It feels even harder when we can’t do anything to help the situation except to wait on God to move. But from my experience, there is something beautiful that can also happen when we release it and sit still, waiting for God to say yes to us at the right time.
I had a season of waiting that was very difficult. It was a season when I learned to sit still in the presence of God and to allow Him to fill my deepest longing. Since I was a young girl, I knew being a mom was something I looked forward to. So when my husband and I decided we were ready, I was so excited. Little did I know in that moment that God’s response to my prayers for a child would be “you have to wait.” It was devastating to me. I had this incredible desire to be a mom, and there was literally nothing I could do about the situation except to wait on God and His perfect timing. So in that season, I had to learn to be still and to wait patiently on the Lord. I had to look to Him and trust that He had a better plan. He knew when the perfect timing would be, and I simply had to get out of the way and trust He would give me my yes at just the right time.
Now as my daughter is about to turn seven years old, I look back and I understand why we had to wait. She has brought so much joy in seasons of great sadness, she has kept me going in seasons when I wanted to give up, and she is being a light to those she is around, especially at school. God had to put so many other things in place that I didn’t recognize at the time. Waiting for her was hard, but I look back on that season with so much fondness. It was a season when I learned to trust God like never before. It was a season when I learned to take my hands off of the situation, and to sit and be still, waiting upon the Lord. Seasons of waiting are so hard, but we can keep looking forward with hope, knowing that God wants to teach us, grow us, mold us, and shape us. And at just the right time, in His perfect design, we will receive our yes. Keep trusting that His ways truly are best and His timing is always perfect.
Application:
What is a prayer in your life that you know God’s response to you is “not right now” or “wait”?
How can you be still before God during this season of waiting?
What do you think God is doing behind the scenes that you don’t see?
Take some time today to ask God what He desires for you during this season of waiting. I know for me, God used my season of waiting to prepare my heart and to move in my life, so in His perfect time I would be ready for His answer to be yes. What is God doing in your life right now as you wait?
Prayer:
God, waiting is so hard. We have desires and plans, but when our plans don’t match up with Yours, it’s difficult. We can feel alone and forgotten. Will You remind us today that there is so much going on behind the scenes that we don’t see? Help us in our moments of desperation to look to You. And when we feel as if we can’t wait anymore, help us to be still in Your presence and allow You to sustain us through. We look forward in faith for the day when our wait turns into “Yes, now is the perfect time.” Thank You for being with us as we wait upon You. Amen.