Waiting is a huge part of our lives. We spend days, weeks, and sometimes years waiting. Whether the wait is for a marriage partner, healing, a job, a house, a baby, a test result or an answer, waiting is tough. Waiting itself can be a struggle.

Lamentations 3:25-26
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.

Have you ever noticed it seems to take forever when you stand by the stove to wait for a pot to boil?  All your time and focus is put into watching for the slightest hint of a bubble. Time seems to slip into slow motion. But if you walk away, all the sudden you hear the water roaring and whirling. What happened?  Your focus shifted.  No longer were the seconds sluggishly ticking. You focused on something else and when you looked back you realized how quickly and easily it seemed to boil.

Each trial, short or lifelong, can seem like an eternity when our focus is only on the pain and suffering.  But when we truly shift our focus to the God of the universe, our trials seem to shrink. Our perspective changes. Suddenly our God is bigger than our problems. Slightly blurred, our struggles fade into the background as our loving God moves boldly and clearly into the foreground.  He becomes our motivation and purpose. Our trials seem bearable and maybe even shorter. Our minds are clearer and we feel grounded. There’s a peace that floods our soul and a grace that carries us along despite the difficult situation.

But it’s so natural to let our minds to wander from the path of truth; to stray into worry and fear; to assume a certain outcome and to allow it to prematurely devastate us.

God allows all things (not just what looks good to us) for our good and ultimately for His glory. In waiting we can still bring glory to Him. Waiting allows us time to right our allegiance, faith, perspective and attitude.

Does worry change the outcome or bring about a shorter waiting period?  God does not change His plan for our lives based on our lack of faith, our fearful reaction or the ugly development of the situation. Our omniscient Father is not taken by surprise by anything for He knows the outcome, even if it is what we feared.

God won’t allow anything in your life that He won’t see you through. He’s walks beside you and His amazingly rich grace and immeasurable strength leads, whether your path be bright as the sun or black as night.

Isaiah 40:28-31
Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
His understanding is unsearchable.
He gives power to the faint,
and to Him who has no might He increases strength.
Even youths shall faint and be wear,
and young men shall fall exhausted;
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.

Do you watch your feet as you walk or look down at the path right in front of you?  If life is the same for you, may I encourage you to look up? Stop looking down at your situation. Look up to the Savior of the world. Your focus should be outside of yourself, outside of your struggle. Look around you (others are struggling too). Look to the finish line; live with eternity on your mind. Struggles will come and go, but if your focus is solely on Jesus, these temporary afflictions will seem less intense and more meaningful.

So, whether our waiting period is only for a day or indefinitely, sit back and appreciate the ride. Let’s open our hearts during this time and allow God to teach us and strengthen our faith.

Be still, and know that I am God (Psalm 46:10).