Whether working furiously waiting on that next job promotion, waiting expectantly for Mr. or Miss Wonderful to come into our lives, or waiting for the healing of a chronic illness, waiting is not for sissies. It takes great patience and perseverance to wait well.
For me, this waiting became real as I trudged through the woods, listening to God’s still voice regarding my husband’s perpetual suffering. The beauty and silence around me struck me. My natural surroundings declared the glory and sovereignty of a Mighty God who had everything under control. Nonetheless, my heart cried, “When, Lord, will my beloved husband find relief? When will You answer my prayers for him? This wait is so hard!”
The Bible says, “I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I hope.” This verse encouraged me in three ways. First, God is outside of time, and we are not. He invented time for His glory and the good of His creation. That is why God never changes in His love or care for us. He sees the beginning and end and knows what we need to get there.
Second, God knows that although He has fashioned us in His image, we are but dust and can only learn perseverance, character, and hope through suffering and the passing of time. Providentially, God has ordained that we need time to grow closer to Him and more like Him.
Third, God’s Word says that with the Lord, a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like a day. Although the waiting seems endless to us, it is like a drop in a bucket to God.
The process God takes us through as we wait on Him is for our good and His glory alone. Pray that He will make you strong so you will dare to wait on His perfect timing, not your own.
Page Gyatt has been writing devotions for some time. She is a Compel Writer’s training member (affiliated with Proverbs 31 ministries) and has entered various writing challenges over the years. Recently, her testimony was printed in a book called Stories of Grace: Changed Hearts Changed Lives by Burke Community Church Women’s Ministry. She was also one of many authors. You can contact her at pglovejoyhope@gmail.com.