by Lexi Morris
“Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord,” Psalm 27:14.
Throughout all the seasons I’ve experienced personally, I would say that the season of waiting is one that I am continuously learning the most from. It is certainly not my favorite, but sometimes the desires we seek require waiting on our part. I am sure that if we took a poll over the most fervent desires, we would have some in common. So today, my goal is to encourage you along your journey of waiting.
Waiting - one word that seems unpleasant at first glance. Trust me, more times than not, I do not love or enjoy waiting. Patience does not come overnight, at least for me. Waiting at red lights, waiting in line at the grocery store, and waiting to get an iced coffee are all part of the waiting process that we’re familiar with on a weekly basis. I must say, waiting is certainly not a bad thing, especially after you have waited in a long line to buy an iced coffee.
However, the time spent waiting to get what you want is vital. For me, waiting always comes down to this… “Is it worth the wait?” And, “How bad do you want it?” This will be the determining factor for how you wait and if you will choose to wait.
Here are a couple of things that I have recently learned about waiting.
1.Waiting is not wasted time.
Oftentimes, we mistake the waiting season itself as a period of wasted time. I’ve been there while waiting for God’s timetable to unfold and it seems as if the time is wasted. It seems insignificant and more times than not, I have wanted to take situations into my own hands according to my own timetable. Our flesh attempts to convince ourselves that surely, we know best… right? Our desires seem so great that we can’t afford to wait any longer. Therefore, our emotions potentially cause us to act quickly or even irrationally just to attain the desired outcome.
If we are not careful and on guard during this season, the enemy will paint a picture of disbelief, doubt, and discouragement that will ultimately lead us to believe that our waiting is to no avail. Sister, make an effort to guard your heart and your mind. If Jesus has you in a season where you must wait, it is for your good. That may seem cliche because we hear it so often, but there is purpose in your waiting.
2. Waiting requires our entire reliance on Christ.
When we are faced with difficult situations, we ultimately have two choices: we can either trust and wait on God, or we can take matters into our own hands. Hopefully, we will choose to trust and wait despite our feelings of frustration or disappointment.
When we choose this, we are choosing to surrender everything into the hands of Christ. Reliance requires our willingness to empty our hands of our own agenda and to fully trust that His timetable is worth waiting for.
Recently, the Lord reminded me of this Scripture, "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” - Jeremiah 29:11.
I have recounted this verse multiple times and I have seen it plastered on many canvases while shopping, but this time it seemed to stick. The Lord truly knows the end from the beginning, He sees your future (expected end), and He has your very best at heart. If you can trust that, then I believe that you can rest in full reliance on Christ. We do not have to figure things out on our own, He wants our trust during this season of waiting.
Someone once told me a simple statement that still resides in my heart today. “He will do to depend on. I have full confidence in Him”.
The faith of this person and their statement of assuredness has encouraged my soul to find the same reliance on Him! My friend,“Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord,” Psalm 27:14.
