While you are waiting

I don’t know about you, but I hate waiting. Are you, like me in the middle of a waiting season? It seems like we are ALWAYS waiting on something, whether big or small. We had thought for sure that we would know whether or not Matt was getting the job he applied for back in December. However, here we are, pretty much at the end of January, with Matt flying in on Saturday and we still have not heard about the job! I am sure there are a lot of contributing factors that have delayed this decision, Christmas, New Year’s, Martin Luther King, Jr. day, and then the snow storm of the decade hits and DC is snowed under.

I have good days and bad days with waiting. On the good days I am keeping my eyes on the Lord, completely trusting Him.

On the bad days I am more focused on the situation and the not knowing. I let worry and doubt creep in.

I am currently reading “teacher” The Henrietta Mears Story by Marcus Brotherton and it is really good. I read this quote yesterday:

“Will you stop looking at your problems and wringing your hands in despair? Faith and despair cannot remain in the same heart. Take your choice; trust God or worry. You cannot really do both.” –Henrietta Mears

Are you in a season of waiting? Are you waiting on a new job to come open? Waiting on your house to sell? Waiting on that new baby? Waiting on that pathology report? Waiting on your deployed spouse to come home? Waiting on orders for your next move? Waiting on your child to grow up? Waiting on a job promotion? Waiting on someone to recognize all your good work? Are you waiting on healing? Waiting on the snow to melt? What are you waiting on? How are you handling the wait? I have 10 tips for you while you are waiting, they are from Lysa Terkeurst’s book (and Bible Study) Walk inFaith and come from the following verses:

Psalm 27:13-14 “I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait on the Lord.”

Psalm 33:20 “We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield.”

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

Psalm 130:5 “I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope.”

1)      Do not lose confidence in God’s goodness

2)      Be strong

3)      Do not lose hope

4)      Let God be your shield and help

5)      BE PATIENT (emphasis mine!)

6)      Continue to cry out to God

7)      Cling to His word

8)      Watch for His answers

9)      Trust in His unfailing love

10)  Rejoice in His redemption

He hears our prayers and He knows the desires of our heart. One of my devotionals this morning said that God sometimes answers in ways that surprise us.

“This reminds us that He is not bound by our expectations, and we can’t predict what He will choose to do. While we wait, focusing on who He is rather than what we think He should do will helps us find joy and satisfaction in our relationship with Him.”-Jennifer Benson Schuldt

“If you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, look for it like silver and search as hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.”

Proverbs 2:3-6

Waiting is not easy. I don’t know anyone who LIKES to wait. However, it is a part of life. We can’t control how long we have to wait and we can’t hurry that decision up, but we can choose HOW we are going to wait. Are we going to continue to be impatient? Or are we going to wait in our own strength? Or, are we going to let go and let God, in His amazing strength? Keep looking up, it makes it easier to wait if we wait on the Lord and look to Him, rather than focusing on our circumstances.