What's This Waiting For?
My feet move forward on this dirty path. The trees arch in paving the way and offer just the right amount of shade as I walk through this path. This should feel like an afternoon stroll but it appears to be so much longer. I look up and I hear the birds chirping and see the wide span of blue in the sky. I close my eyes and feel the wind moving through the trees and all around me, giving me just the right amount of coolness. This path can feel so lonely when there is no one really sharing it with me. One might say that loneliness is important in our life's journey. And we act as if we all are on the same path. But we are not. It's lonely because no one talks about it. No one expresses it. No one shares that the walk of waiting is lonely. We all share a time on this path, but without connecting, we can feel very alone in this process.
“At times, it can feel like the loneliest place on Earth, because it’s just us. Alone with our unanswered prayers.”
Suzanne Elizabeth Anderson, Waiting with God.
Waiting is a lonely path.
Some are waiting for one season to change to another. Others are waiting for singleness to be over. Some are waiting for engagement to turn into marriage. Some are waiting for infertility to change into fertility. Some are waiting for cancer to move into remission. Others are waiting for life to feel less pain. Some are waiting for their calling to come into fruition through that next job or opportunity.
We all find ourselves on this path. We all wait for something. No one really understands the reason behind waiting. It's something that happens. It's something that is necessary.
What if the wilderness season we want to avoid is the faith-deepening season our soul really needs?
Lysa Terkeurst, It's Not Supposed to Be This Way.
What if our waiting is meant for so much more? What if it is meant to change us? We are so focused on the next step that we forget to discover contentment in the moment. We are so fixated on comparing ourselves to other people. But they aren't you and you aren't them. And, honestly, that is okay. Instead of asking "Why is this happening?" Maybe we should ask "What is this for?"
Lord, guide us to persevere.
Lord, give us patience.
WAIT is this four letter word that knocks at the door of our hearts that we never want to let in. We are waiting for the Lord's will to be revealed. We are waiting for our prayers to be answered. This is not always easy. This can be really difficult. The waiting season is necessary. We recognize the waiting. We just deny it room in our lives. We tell ourselves that we do not need it.
There is purpose in our waiting. It is not meant to be this frozen moment in time that feels useless. Instead it can be an exciting adventure of actively serving with the Lord for His Kingdom. It can be this space of developing unrestrained intimacy with Christ. It can be beautiful, but it doesn't mean it is easy.
I have been so impatient in the waiting. I have been so impatient in the resting. I'd rather work relentlessly and give until I have nothing left. I want to give my heart in literally everything. I come to realize that resting is healing and healing is resting. And I'm forced into this waiting for such a season. A season that surrenders to God and leaves all the answers and the lingering details up to Him. He knows. The waiting is healing. The waiting is a gift.
“God used my year of waiting not to frustrate me, or abandon me, but to draw me into a closer relationship with Him.”
- Suzanne Elizabeth Anderson, Waiting with God.
We say to ourselves that we're waiting on God. But maybe God is waiting on us. We think it's His move. It's His time. But what if it is actually our move? It is time to make room for ourselves. It is time to quit that job. It is time for us to find that rest. It is time for us to spend that extra twenty minutes drawing into silence. It is us stepping forward. Why don't we just take a moment and ask God.
What is this waiting for?
Holy Spirit, what do you long to do in us?
What do you long to do in me?
He won't delay. He will participate with us in the waiting. Sometimes the Lord asks us to wait and sometimes we get forced into it through multiple closed doors. It can take a hit on our agenda, but maybe we're being asked to take a second look at what is really in our hearts. It might just be about stepping forward and dreaming again.
"O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek You. My soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land, where there is no water."
Psalm 63
God is in us and we are in Him. He desires to give us the true gifts that we need. You may not even know what those gifts are. But take heart, He does. He might give you the gifts of rest, peace, joy, or dreaming. He only gives good gifts. He is for you and not against you. He might place you in a season of waiting. But what is this for?
Instead of looking out or grumbling over your troubles, look up. Fix your eyes on Him. This season of waiting might be just what you need. My brother, my sister: take a seat. Come to the table, ready to receive, to feast. And whatever you do, know He hasn't left you. But no one else has either. Invite others to the same seat, the same table. You might be surprised by the people that are actually waiting as well.
I open my eyes and move forward on this path. After a few short steps, I walk into a beautifully open field. There it is right before me. A long table filled with abundant gifts, ready to be received. But what is the most abundant gift? To see the many faces around and before me, welcoming me to this table. The second I move forward with open eyes and heart, I recognize that I'm not so alone.
The moment I looked up. The moment I opened my heart to receive, I found the true gift. This path is not quite as lonely as I thought. On this path of waiting, there are those waiting for freedom. Those waiting for the Lord to reveal the next step. Those waiting for commissioning. Those waiting for something. We sat together at this table to receive and to taste and see that God is good to us. God is good to you. God is good, even in the waiting.
Sit down, my child, and receive. This season is a gift, not a burden.
What is this waiting for?