Waiting for the news of a diagnosis, waiting for your son to find the courage to make the right choice, waiting for your marriage to heal, waiting to feel more content in your job, waiting for the pain of the past to stop interfering with your present… If only you could know the future maybe then the waiting wouldn’t be so painful. If you could have a small glimpse into God’s good plan maybe then you would have the courage to fight one more day.
Our desire to know is strong because the unknown can be so terrifying at times. How can we plan our reactions? How do we know we will be able to handle the news? What if it goes wrong? What if it’s the worst case scenario? How will we manage the “what if’s”?
What IF we trusted? Fully trusted. What if instead of being anxious in our waiting we accepted it with trust and hope. “Wait for the Lord, Be strong and let your heart take courage, yes wait for the Lord” Psalm 27:14
Wait for the Lord, Be strong and let your heart take courage, yes wait for the Lord
Psalm 27:14
What if we surrendered the need to know, the need to control, the need to plan and allowed God’s blessings to unfold? How do we find contentment and acceptance in the waiting? The answer is- we already have it through the power of the Holy Spirit. In Galatians 5:5 Paul reminds us, “For we through the Spirit, by faith, are waiting for the hope of righteousness.” Not alone–but with God, with the Spirit and by faith we wait.
The Bible is full of examples of waiting on the Lord’s provision many of which are fraught with excruciating circumstances, some are simply uncomfortable and looking for change. However different the circumstances may be, God’s message remains the same: trust, wait and do not be afraid.
One of the most profound examples of waiting with faith and great courage is Mary, mother of Jesus. Mary trusted while she waited. In Luke’s Gospel it is described that the angel Gabriel came to Mary and told her not to be afraid. He told her that the impossible would be made possible and that she would have God’s Son. This on Earth was impossible and at this time, scary given she was unwed and young and yet she accepted it with trust and hope. Mary also waited expectantly for Joseph to accept his calling to marry her and raise the Son of God on Earth with her. She waited and she trusted. She waited for the baby to grow and be ready to be born. She waited as she traveled to Bethlehem with her husband. She waited while in labor to find a place to rest and give birth to her son, God’s son, the Savior of the World. She waited and she trusted.
In this season of expectation, of the celebration of the birth of Jesus, let us wait, like Mary, with trust and courage. You are not alone.
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand
Isaiah 41:10