good things come to those who wait.

How quick we are to lose hope and how slow we are to wait on the Lord.

Last night, plagued by my recent inability to rest, I stumbled upon an article that seems almost written by Jesus himself for me in my time of wandering.  At first glance, I thought this was an article about waiting until marriage as it is titled the gift of waiting.  I am waiting for marriage, but I rolled my eyes at, what I thought was, another post condemning those who do not wait.  Rather, in the post, Sara tells the story of falling for her now husband, then best friend and the waiting that the Lord called the two of them to do.

I specialize in never waiting.  I’m basically an expert at it, especially when it comes to waiting on the Lord.  If I want it, I want it now and I don’t want to argue with you about how screwed up that is.  Partially, I think it’s our culture.  We’re taught that you can have whatever you want, whenever you want.  Contrary to our society, Jesus calls us to be patient and wait upon the Lord (Psalm 37). 

If emotional well-being can be ranked on a 1-10 scale, on a normal day, I’m about a 7.  By that, I mean that I could cry if I needed to, I smile a lot, I face some unwelcome thoughts that captivate my head and heart, my patience is short, and my mood swings are high.  I’m pretty okay with 7, though.  Lately, with recent things and my End of Summer Blues, I’ve become about a 12.  Aka Jesus music, country music, and rap music could all make me (and have made me) cry within the span of a few minutes, I tear up if I think even a little bit, I can’t sleep well and don’t have much of an appetite because of stress, and I just genuinely don’t feel good.

I don’t say all that to complain [though we both knew I could find a way to ;) ], but I say that to testify to the way that I have done everything but wait for the Lord.  In her article, Sara talks about being emotional and questioning what God was doing and hurting and I could not say “YES” enough while reading that because been there, done that, currently doing it.

Satan is good at convincing us that we are alone in our struggles.  He convinces us that no one really cares about them, that God cannot be found in our little storms, that He really isn’t bigger than whatever we’re facing.  I think the alone part is why we do so well when others talk about their struggles.  It makes us realize that we are not alone and our human nature craves that comfort like a newborn craves milk.  We need that affirmation and that support. 

So, to hear someone via her own blog say that she struggled with this too, my heart found hope for the first time in a while.  And to hear her say that waiting on the Lord led to the blessings she now has, “the best is yet to come” rang loud and clear in my soul.

We so easily forget about Jesus.  He supplies our blessings and He anchors our soul, but as soon as He changes our foolish, small, human plans, we run in the opposite direction; we end up confused and hurt and frustrated. 

The Bible says that the Lord does not withhold any good thing from those who do what is right [Psalm 84:11].  It’s easy to think of God as someone who takes away our good things and gives us whatever He desires, as if He doesn’t want us to be happy.  But the Lord gives perfect gifts and it is so, so foolish of us to ever assume that because He calls us away from one thing, He has taken away any type of that thing forever.  As if He only puts desires in our hearts to snatch them away and tell us no.

“It was hard.  I had gone through this whole process of believing for something, and then being told I could have it – but not yet.  God’s promises are funny like that.  Sometimes He shows us what He has for us and then He invites us in to the refining place of waiting and contending – not because we need to earn something but because He wants to stamp us with His image in those places.  There’s a piece of His heart to be found in the waiting.

I think in that season the piece of His heart I found was that He’s for me, no matter what.  He was stamping on me a belief that His promises are true, and the things He promises are worth fighting for.”

Jesus is good.  When we are down to our last strings, Jesus always, always, always gives hope.  Waiting on the Lord grants us that hope.  While we wait, we believe and hold fast to His goodness, His kindness, His faithfulness, His sweetness, and His unfailing love.  And when our waiting seems silly, we remember His goodness, His kindness, His faithfulness, His sweetness, His unfailing love, and His promise to bless obedience.

“When God made His promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for Him to swear by, He swore to Himself, saying ‘I will surely bless you and give you many descendants.’  And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised.” Hebrews 6:13-15

“Yet he [Abraham] did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what He had promised.” Romans 4:20-21

“People swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what s said and puts an end to all argument.  Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, He confirmed it with an oath.  God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged.  We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. “ Hebrews 6:16-19

Friends, I encourage you to find hope that does not quit, weaken, or fade in the Lord.  He is good and He is faithful and He has so much love & adoration for His children.

"And cheers to all the rest of you — those things you’re contending for are worth it. Keep going."

In regards to my last post: I have never felt so loved by friends, family, and random strangers.  The love that was shown to me is something I will not soon forget.  You people made the harder days easier.  Thank you for being so encouraging and so sweet to me.  The Lord is good and He has good things in store.  Thank you for loving me so well.  My heart is full.