We live in a world of people who expect and demand immediate gratification. We want everything now and don’t like to wait for anything. We wish our lives away, waiting for the next thing ahead of us.
We can’t wait to get out of high school, leave our parents, and be out on our own with no more rules.
We can’t wait for the school year to be over, and it’s only October. Counting down the days until Christmas break and then summer.
We can’t wait to become “real” adults, get married, buy a house, and start a family.
We can’t wait for our baby to be born in 8 more months not knowing the outcome of his early delivery in only 5 months.
Waiting is not something I, personally, do very well. Impatience, fear, worry, and frustration are just some of the emotions that surface when I anxiously wait rather than enjoy today and every day I am blessed with.
How Do We Get Through the Waiting?
There’s a song I listened to daily through my pregnancy and after we lost Andrew. It’s called Take Courage by Bethel Music. It speaks to God’s presence in the Waiting. We find Him when we take courage, stay steadfast, and hold on to hope as we wait for His victory to be won… as we wait for His return… as we wait for Him to finish all He has begun in us. If we can just slow down and wait on God to reveal what’s to come, we can enjoy God’s peace while we wait for all that He has in store for us.
Here are some simple tips for your waiting:
1. Praise and thank Him daily.
In the midst of your trials, Praise and thank Him daily – no matter the situation. Ephesians 5:19-20 says “Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 doesn’t say to give thanks when things are going great, in the times when you are happy … it says to give thanks in ALL circumstances, to rejoice always and pray continually… even when you don’t feel like it.
I don’t know about you but there is something freeing about praising God when I don’t feel like it, when I just want to wallow in my sadness. My mind is turned away from ME, and instead it is focused on Him. This is when Peace comes.
2. Confess your doubts, worries, and fears to Him.
If only you were perfect and sinless, you would never worry or fear or doubt that God is in control. That He’s got this. However, I am pretty confident that you are human just like me. You can’t hide these feelings from God… he knows your every thought. So instead, ask him for forgiveness and help. Confess your worry, doubt, complaining and fear and believe that he forgives you. 1 John 1:9 says “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
3. Allow His word to lead you.
All of God’s promises are in the greatest book ever written, the Bible. He has given you the road map to life and the path to eternity. In Psalms 119, David talks about hiding God’s word in his heart so that he may not sin against God. He seeks the Lord with all his heart, rejoices in following His laws, studies His commands, and delights in His word.
When you study God’s word and know what His promises are, those promises will lead your thoughts and actions. When the world delivers you a difficult blow, God’s words are able to penetrate through your sadness and despair. His truth is right there in your heart, ready to guide you. I love Ephesians 3:20-21 – Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us. Other favorites are Romans 8:28, 2 Corinthians 12:9, Philippians 4:6-7.
When Does the Waiting End?
Each doctor appointment brought new disappointment as we learned more about the health of Andrew. The waiting between appointments killed me, not to mention the morning sickness and gestational diabetes I was experiencing. What would be next? What were the doctors going to tell us was wrong this time?
As we waited, I prayed fervently, asking God for peace and patience. I asked him to forgive me for my moments of unbelief. I read His word and asked for verses from Christian mentors to help me get through each day. I thought “if I could just get through this and get our precious Down Syndrome baby boy here, everything would be ok.”
What I didn’t realize at the time is that the phrase Peace in the Waiting would become so much more to me than I originally thought.
Waiting doesn’t end when your son dies, when you finally get pregnant, when your child grows out of the terrible twos, when that relationship you’ve been struggling with is mended, when you receive encouraging test results… Waiting continues until Jesus returns. Only at that point does the waiting end.
The waiting ends when eternity begins – in a place more glorious and wonderful than anything we could ever imagine.
But God tells us that we never wait alone (Joshua 1:9, Matthew 28:20, Psalm 23:4). He is with us wherever we go. He carries us each step of the way until we arrive home.
Let go and trust in Him while you wait. He is never failing.
In case you missed Part 1 – How to Experience God’s Peace