Waiting is Hard
Years of trials and testing caused my wife and I to question if we would ever be able to get pregnant. We struggled with God’s plan, explored options for adoption, and worked with our doctors to determine if there was a problem. Needless to say, we were ecstatic when a routine doctor visit revealed we were pregnant! I’ll never forget how we reacted in the physician’s hallway that day! A few weeks later, and after we’d announced our joy, we lost the baby! Extreme joy immediately flowed into immense pain! I can’t wait to one day meet our little baby in heaven and pray that our story can offer some encouragement to a family.
Later on, after grieving and healing, God saw fit to bless us with two beautiful girls. We now look back with reflective hearts and see how God grew us, empowered us, and provided for us. When I overlay my personal experience with the story of Abraham and Sarah, it is easy to understand their longing for a child and the extreme measures they considered. However, I cannot imagine the thought of having a child at nearly 100 years old! No wonder they both laughed at God’s promise.
God waited to provide so that there would be no explanation other than His hand at work. You may or may not be waiting on a child, but we all wait for God to do what only He can do. Frustration mounts, doubts build, and even anger may develop as we hear what God says but watch as it seems nothing is actually happening.
The exercise of Proverbs 3:5-6 requires faithful trust in the everyday choices we make to follow God’s plan and trust His timing. Isaiah 55:8-9 reminds us that His ways are different from ours. It is not a matter of fairness, but a matter of faithfulness.
He is faithful to us and we must walk in faith. The process of waiting on healing, answers, provision, and more will stretch our faith and give us the opportunity to testify to His goodness.
Be warned by Abraham and Sarah’s example with Hagar. There is always a temptation to bypass God’s process and take matters into our own hands. Doing so may cheat others out of a blessing to minister to us and may cheat ourselves out of seeing God do what only He can do.
Waiting is hard! Trust me, I know. But looking back I can testify that God has a plan and He can be trusted. Will you walk in faith and wait for Him today?
