Not Wasting the Waiting

I have never found waiting to be comfortable.  It’s hard to sit and not do nothing.  Yet, sometimes God calls us to that very place of waiting – waiting for His deliverance, waiting for His answer to prayer, waiting for his help, waiting for the end of one’s pain and suffering.  In my current painful spot of waiting, I am learning to not waste the waiting.  I am learning the beauty of lament as I turn to God and sit back and wait for His answer and deliverance.  I am leaning on His deep mercy as I sit under dark and looming clouds.

As I have journeyed this time of waiting, I have been reading Dark Clouds Deep Mercy by Mark Vroegop.  It has been exactly what I have needed during a difficult, lonely, painful family trial.  This book has helped give words to my groans as I turn to God in prayer making my complaints known, lifting my requests to my faithful God, and reminding Him and me of His faithfulness to His promises.  I have loved walking through Psalms of Lament and studying Lamentations learning anew what lament looks like and how important it is.  

In Dark Clouds Deep Mercy, Mark points out four truths on which Jeremiah “anchored his heart,” the second of which is “Waiting is not a waste” (p. 114).  Mark introduces the point stating: “…waiting for anything feels like a complete waste of time. Waiting for God to move or answer seems even worse.  Lamentations 3: 25-27 shows us the value of living in space between suffering and restoration. Lament serves us well as we mourn and wait” (p.114).

Lamentations 3:25-27 says:

“The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.  It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.  It is good for a man that he bear the yoke of his youth” (ESV).

Mark points out that in the Hebrew translation, each of those 3 sentences start with the Hebrew word “good.” 

Can waiting be “good?”

Mark has some really good insight into waiting that was such an encouragement to me that I wanted to write it down, and I figured if I am writing it, I should probably share it because it’s too good to miss out on the good and even beauty of waiting.

“To wait on the Lord means to place your hope in him—to trust that God is the one who can deliver you.  Your entire confidence rests on him.  We wait upon the Lord because he is God and we are not.

“Why is waiting so difficult?  Because it feels as if we’re not doing anything.  And that’s the point.  You’re not doing anything, but God is” (p. 114).

“Waiting puts us in an uncomfortable place where we’re out of control of our lives” (p. 115).

“Waiting can be hard because of the fear of what might happen.  Our inability to do anything but wait is a powerless feeling” (p. 115).

“Rather than resisting this season, we can see waiting as an opportunity for life-changing lessons” (p.115).

“If God’s providence requires you to wait, remind your heart that much good can come from this season…In the midst of suffering, remember that waiting on the Lord is not a waste” (p.115).

I love to be organized. I love to have everything in its place and details all laid out.  I like to have control of circumstances and outcomes, responses, and even people, if I’m honest.  Recognizing that I have no control over circumstances and life can be terrifying if I dwell on that thought too long.  God likes to use the hard things in life to remind me over and over again (because I am so quick to forget!) that He’s in control, not me.  He’s got this!  I absolutely don’t!  Such a hard thing to swallow, but it’s so important for me to surrender to that truth.  Because God’s got this, I don’t have to do anything but be faithful and obedient.  It’s time for me to enter that waiting looking for God’s answers and deliverance.  I’m seeking to use this “pause” to learn what God is trying to teach me and to see how He will sovereignly work all the currently hard and messy things for my good and His glory.  These are the passages and thoughts I am turning to in my waiting:

It's time for me to “Be still and know that [He is] God” (Psalm 46:10a, ESV).

I need to say repeatedly: “I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living! Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!” (Psalm 27:13-14, ESV)

“I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I hope; my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning” (Psalm 130:5-6, ESV)

“Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love, that he may deliver their soul from death and keep them alive in famine.  Our soul waits for the LORD; he is our help and our shield.  For our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name.  Let your steadfast love, O LORD, be upon us, even as we hope in you” (Psalm 33:18-22, ESV).

“Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices” (Psalm 37:7, ESV).

I must remind myself repeatedly: “For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him” (Psalm 62:5, ESV).

One of the many verses and quotes I have around my bathroom mirror has been a helpful reminder during this current time of waiting: “The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent” (Exodus 14:14, ESV).

All of the reflection on waiting reminded me of one of my favorite verses:

“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” (Isaiah 40:31, ESV).

Lord, I am waiting for you.  Please renew my strength.  Help me not to grow weary and faint as I do so, and as I walk the painful path of life You have for me right now. Amen.

“From of old no one has heart or perceived by ear, no eye has seen a God besides you, who acts for those who wait for him” (Isaiah 64:4, ESV).