Do you struggle waiting on God to move in your life? Maybe it is for a new job you have prayed for, a wayward child to come home, healing for your body, or a marriage that is in trouble?
Waiting means the action of staying where one is or delaying action until a particular time or until something else happens. This is one of the hardest things to do in our Christian walk. We live in a world that expects instant gratification. Many times we pray, and when things don’t change immediately, discouragement takes over.
My husband of forty years suffered from depression for the last twenty-five years of his life. We sought answers from the medical profession. Many medical issues came with the depression. The fifteen years before this sickness came into our lives, my husband was funny, happy, and so in love with Jesus. But when this happened, our lives changed forever. He was no longer the man I fell in love with. I prayed and believed my husband would be healed. I had many people praying for him. I believed with all my heart that he would be healed and we would have a wonderful, happy life again. But the healing never came the way I expected. My husband went home to be with Jesus after twenty-five hard years of life.
In the waiting, I found strength in God’s Word. Such as:
Isaiah 40:31 (ESV) “But those that wait on the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.”
Psalm 27:14 (ESV) “Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord.”
Psalm 46:10 (NIV) “Be still, and know that I am God.”
What I learned during this time of waiting and believing was that God never left me. He always gave me the strength to rise above the storms. He would lift me above the struggles and carry me in his strength. He built endurance in my life. Endurance produced character, and character produced hope.
1 Peter 5:10 (KJV) “But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. When I had no strength of my own, I learned to trust God with every area of my life.”
Proverbs 3:5-6 (KJV) “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”
Talk to God about your frustrations and fears. He knows your heart, so cast all your cares on Him. Read your Bible every day. Believe his promises and don’t waver in your faith. His Word is a word from God to you in every situation. Your waiting is not in vain. It is a major part of your spiritual journey that will draw you to the heart of God. Allow God to work in your heart and develop you into the person He wants you to be.
I do not believe God caused my husband’s sickness, but I do believe He took the situation and changed me. I will always be grateful to Him. Always remember in your journey, Philippians 4:13, you “can do all things through Christ who strengthens you.”
God loves you, and He knows what you need in the waiting. You can do this, whatever this is
Patti League
Lean into Jesus Ministries
#pattileagueblogs