Waiting on God
Sometimes I enjoy waiting.
I admit that's not always the case. I remember when I was growing up it seemed we were always waiting on my sister, the last one to be ready to go anywhere. I didn't enjoy that waiting. And I'm not so fond of waiting when I'm waiting for something that makes me nervous or anxious.
Other times, though, waiting feels more like a gift. Waiting often comes when I have no control over a situation, no other option but to wait. If I can recognize and accept that, then I don't mind it so much. It's unfilled time that I didn't expect to have. I can pause, read, think, pray, catch up on messages, complete a small chore or just enjoy the moment.
Accepting that lack of control over a situation is the tricky part. I like to be in control, to know what's coming and have some influence on the outcome. Honestly, though, I just can't control everything. Traffic jam? No control. Weather? Nope. Another person's reaction? Not a chance. When I'm not in control I have to trust. I may have to trust another person or trust a process or trust God. And trusting often involves waiting.
The Bible has scores of verses about waiting and trusting God. One of my favorites is Proverbs 3:5-6. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths." These verses tell me I don't have to know or understand or control everything. I don't have to blaze any new trails on my own. What I do have to do is recognize God and trust him.
And wait expectantly.
I like that.
2 Comments
Kathy,
Thank you for these wise words this morning! I can relate. I have had to “wait” a lot in recent years. But especially in recent months, weeks, and days. I have learned better to submit to God’s timing and not my own, to “wait on the Lord!”
I have had to wait on people to pick up phones and I tried to navigate doctors, nurses, insurance, etc and listen to horrible elevator music. I have had to wait in waiting rooms for procedures and other things, and in hospital rooms for a doctor to arrive, or at home waiting for Home Health or Hospice or even a visit from a friend or loved one.
I can’t tell you how many times my seeet Sugarbugar said, “Wait!” Because I was either rushing him or rushing by him as he sat in his chair or later his bed, on my way to do another “chore.” Why didn’t I stop and give him my full focus, every single time?
But the ultimate “wait” was death itself. Is the the hospital stay? The day, the hour that death would come to take my sweet husband? I dreaded it and yet wished for the sweet relief that ultimately came when God took his hand and ushered him home, and out of his suffering. God’s timing is perfect and He is faithful to help us learn from waiting!
Thank you for these precious words this morning but especially your visits, your love, and your many prayers over the years for Billy and me and Mike, Lori, and the family!
My love and prayers for you and your sweet family,
Jill
Thank you both for your words of wisdom.