This post is for anyone who, like me, is waiting on the Lord for something your heart desires. Whether you’re waiting to find clarity in your purpose, for a spouse, for a child, or anything else you long for, the waiting can be painful. It can feel like a constant ache from wanting something so bad but not having it yet. In this picture, for instance, the hand is above the water and can see what it wants but doesn’t have it yet. The hard part for us is figuring out how to cope with the ache and the uncertainty of when, or if, our wait will end. I believe there are two different kinds of waiting: the “if” kind and the “when” kind,” and I’ll explain the difference.
I say “if” our wait will end because God is not a jeanie who gives us everything we ask Him for. Instead, He gives us the things we ask for that align with His purpose. I remember a couple of times when I really wanted something. I prayed, and I waited, and I never got them. Truthfully, I was praying small while God was planning beyond what I could comprehend at that point in my personal growth. I’m thankful that God didn’t give me those things because the plans He had for me, which I can now see, are much better than what I hoped for back then. I wasn’t wrong for wanting those things in my life; I just didn’t know the trajectory my life could go without them. I share this to say He knows our inner workings and futures, so He knows what’s best for us. He knows what we need and when we need it, even when it can be challenging to understand why we aren’t getting what we are praying for. This is where our faith comes in because we must trust that He has good intentions for us and, like His word says, is working on our behalf.
I say “when” our wait will end because when our hearts deeply long for something that we know aligns with God’s purpose for our lives, I believe we should boldly make our heart’s desires known to Him. I’m talking about the burning desires of our hearts: the ones that keep us up at night and bring us a sense of grief while we are waiting because we want them so badly. For those desires, we should pray, cry, feel the ache from the longing, and even prepare our lives to make room for what we are waiting for. I believe that God places those desires on our hearts for a reason and that we should have an expectation for them to come in response. Hannah gives a perfect example of how to do this in the Bible. She desperately wanted a baby, so she vulnerably poured her heart out to God. She didn’t minimize her pain or hide her emotions. She cried and pleaded with the Lord to make her a mother. Most importantly, she believed that He could do it. For the “when” waiting, I encourage you to keep praying and believing even when it’s hard and you feel like giving up. God honors your persistence, hears you, and is always with you in the midst of it.
Two Scripture passages come to mind when I think of waiting on the Lord. The first is Isaiah 40:31, which says: “But those who 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.” What a beautiful picture of what happens when we wait on the Lord. Typically, waiting makes us weaker because the longer we wait, the harder it is to have patience. But the opposite happens when we wait on the Lord; we get stronger. Why? Because when we wait on the Lord, we rely on the Lord. We come to Him for comfort, clarity, and hope. And in return, He gives us joy, and as Nehemiah 8:10 says: “the joy of the Lord is our strength.” By joy, I don’t mean happy; I mean the reassurance that can only come from God amid our trials. He gives us the courage to keep believing, and the strength we glean from the waiting process strengthens our character. After all, this verse doesn’t say we will “renew our strength” once we receive what we were waiting for; it says we will just from waiting on the Lord. So, if you are in a waiting season with the Lord, be encouraged that you are getting stronger through it.
The next passage is Psalm 37:3-5, which says: “Trust in the Lord, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass.” I view these verses as instructions for us to do while waiting. They instruct us to: 1. Trust in Him (which in this context means to believe that He is working on our behalf), 2. Do good (which means to live a life that is pleasing to Him), 3. Dwell in the land (which means to rest in His provision of our physical and spiritual needs) 4. Feed on His faithfulness (which means to be satisfied with the knowledge that He is who He says He is and His word is true), 5. Delight ourselves in Him (which means to enjoy His company), 6. Commit our ways to Him (which means to put Him first in all aspects of our lives), and 7. Trust Him (I think it’s worth noting that they say to trust God twice). According to these verses, our heart’s desires shall come to pass when we apply these seven principles. I believe this is because when we apply these principles, our hearts are more likely to be aligned with God’s desires for our lives, and we will want what He wants for us.
Jesus, I pray for anyone reading this who is waiting on You. Comfort them in their waiting and give them clarity. In Your perfect timing, let them know if their waiting is an “if” or a “when” kind of wait. Give them hope to keep persevering in prayer regardless because good always comes from placing our concerns at Your feet. May they know that You never get tired of hearing the desires of their hearts. Speak to them in this moment with the words they need to hear to keep believing. May You give them the desires of their hearts that align with Yours. Thank You for being a Father who wants to bless His children and always being with us in the waiting. In Jesus name, amen.