Wait Patiently. Really?
September 3, 2022 — Laura House
In many ways, this past week has been one of remembrances — a slew of wonderful memories of the end-of-summer family vacations and activities that are now more precious than ever. I thought about the September of Nathan’s senior year in college, and of the hope that I felt for his future.
But more prevalent within those memories this week were the difficult images of that year: reading the look on his face and knowing he was struggling with depression; trying to talk about it, but him assuring us that things were okay; and seeing the stress he was feeling so much of the time.
Every morning of the week, I sat at my desk in front of the window in my second-story office space to start my work day. I could hear the door in our walk-out basement close, and I’d watch Nathan walk briskly to his car that was parked in the driveway below. Every morning, with my heart aching, I’d intensely pray these three things.
First, I’d pray that the Lord would be so close to him that Nathan would recognize that it was the Lord. You see, the deeper his depression became, the more he forgot things from the past. He had come to know Jesus when he was young and his goal through his teen years had been to be a missionary pilot. But in the few years before he died, he began to question the existence of God. How could a loving God allow the intense pain that he was experiencing? Peering out my window, I begged God to show Himself to Nathan.
Next, I prayed for comfort. I prayed that the Holy Spirit would just envelop him and bring peace and comfort to his soul. I prayed that he’d experience moments of fulfillment and joy throughout his day.
Finally, I pleaded with the Lord to help us know how to help him. What else could we research? Who else could we make an appointment with to try to figure out how to help? What were we supposed to do? What should we say to Nathan and when? It. Was. So. Hard.
I’ll admit it; I’ve always been a “fixer.” When someone I loved needed help, no worries, I’d be there. Are you sad? I’ll cheer you up. Whatever the problem, I was confident that I could find a solution.
I realize that part of being a “fixer” comes with just being a mom, right? From infancy to adulthood, we are there to comfort our children when they need it. But when the “fixer” trait becomes self-sufficiency, that crosses the line. Through my parenting years, I often found it difficult to “wait on the Lord” and regularly plunged ahead with my own solutions. If I “waited” then it felt like nothing was happening. I needed to figure things out and move on them right then. I didn’t want to just sit and do nothing.
But is waiting really doing nothing? Actually, the word “wait” is a verb! It’s an action verb; something that we choose to do; and a difficult action to take sometimes.
Since Nathan left earthly life, I’ve learned so many things. One of them is that when we wait on the Lord, truly trust Him and choose to be satisfied with the waiting, we’ll experience peace. I have the assurance that He is moving and working. While I’m waiting, He is orchestrating.
Take a look at two of the many verses about waiting that are found in the Book of Psalms.
Psalms 27:14 says, “Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.”
Psalms 40:1-2, “I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.”
I’ve discovered that when I truly wait, my soul is comforted. My weary body and mind can stop trying to figure it all out; stop trying to fix it all; and simply rest. Do you need rest today? I highly recommend “waiting.”
“Waiting patiently” is possible. We can choose it and practice it, and with God’s help, we can truly experience the “peace that passes understanding.”
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A few more verses to contemplate:
Micah 7:7 —“But as for me, I will watch expectantly for the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation. My God will hear me.”
Psalm 130:5-6 — “I wait for the LORD, my soul does wait, And in His word do I hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than the watchmen for the morning; Indeed, more than the watchmen for the morning.”
Isaiah 40:31 — “But they who wait for 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.”
Hebrews 6:17 — “And so, having patiently waited, he obtained the promise.”
Romans 8:25 — “But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.
Psalm 25:5 — “Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; For You I wait all the day.
