By Sarah Mildebrandt
In every aspect of life there will be seasons of waiting. Whether that means waiting in line, waiting on a new job, or even waiting for prayers to be answered. So, what do you do in the midst of the waiting? We’ve all be there at one point or another and we know that waiting isn’t necessarily the easiest thing. Sometimes the waiting feels like it never ends when we just want the answers or direction for what's next.
I believe that in some circumstances, waiting is easier when you’re surrounded by people who love and encourage you, who speak life and God’s truth into your life.
So, back to the question, what do you do in the midst of the waiting? Well that's simple, you trust the Lord. You allow Him to open and close the doors to the plans He has for you, committing to however long that takes. There may be some uncertainty in the process, but everything that comes from the waiting comes out so perfectly according to God’s design for your life.
For the majority of the first seventeen years of my life, it was spent waiting. I was waiting for happiness, for fulfilment in anything and everything that would get me out of my own head, sometimes out of the house. I had my eldest daughter when I was nineteen. A month later my father passed away. I was nineteen, feeling broken and alone and yet it was in this very space where Jesus intercepted my life, at the bottom of the valley.
It can be hard to see God while you're going through hardship, for me there seemed to just be a silence, a void that could only be filled by Jesus. I look back now and it's so clear to me how God was moving in my life through every abuse, betrayal and misunderstanding. I realise that He had been with me all along. The waiting was part of His bigger plan. Was it rough? Yes. Did I feel broken? Absolutely. Would I go back and change things if I could? Honestly, not really. The only thing I regret was not knowing Him sooner, I wouldn't be who I am today if I hadn't gone through the pain, loss and suffering that I had experienced. Even more than that, I realise that I wouldn't be who I am today if God hadn't been there beside me through all of those years of waiting.
There are so many examples of waiting with scripture. Waiting through sorrow, grief, loss, and betrayal. There’s Sarah and Abraham who waited twenty-five years for a child. Joseph who was sold into slavery by his brothers and who waited seventeen years before his dream became a reality. Esther who had to wait patiently in order to save her people from extermination yet the Lord gave her strength and courage. Seriously, pick a person in the Bible and chances are that their story follows a similar pattern: pain, promise, waiting. For the heroes that have gone before us, they show us the ultimate example of trust in God, walking in faith that everything would work out according to His plan and not their understanding. I wonder if God allows us to enter dark, seemingly dismal seasons so that we can learn to lean on Him and know that He is good and that He never ever fails us. If you are in one of these seasons of life, allow Him to be the wonderful counsellor that He is and to do the work that only He can do. Lean on Him in your grief and sorrow and glory in Him in every circumstance and every season, the good and the bad.
"So the Lord must wait for you to come to him so he can show you his love and compassion. For the Lord is a faithful God. Blessed are those who wait for his help."
Isaiah 30.18
So what do we do in the waiting? We trust. We cling to Him and we dive into His word.
Can I encourage you this year, and specifically if you are struggling, to go deeper than surface level with God. He wants to speak to you and reveal so much of Himself to you. He wants to show you that His plan is good (Jeremiah 29.11). He wants to show you that He can be trusted, that His process can be trusted.
My prayer is that no matter what pain, confusion, or grief that you may be facing right now, the Lord would give you clarity and His peace, that you would know that God is with you in the waiting for things to get better and that He is moulding you into the beautiful creation that He created you to be, for His purpose that brings Him glory. I pray that the Lord would remind you of His great and deep love for you, even in the midst of brokenness.
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight."
Proverbs 3.5-6
With love,
Sarah x
If you are in a season of waiting and would like some prayer, please let us know.
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