Waiting is something that none of us particularly enjoy, yet it is a fundamental aspect of the Christian life. To wait on the Lord and trust in Him has been a critical part of my life personally as a single mother. When we wait on the Lord, we are not just sitting around twiddling our thumbs. Instead, we are actively placing our trust in God and His perfect timing. It requires patience, faith, and surrender to His will.
A little backstory…
Some of you may know that my current home that I’ve been in for 10 years now, is the home I brought my youngest home to. This home holds a ginormous mix of bittersweet memories. This home has been a rental to me and has been on a journey of its own with owner after owner. The original owner I rented from let the home go into foreclosure shortly after my divorce. It was bank-owned for a little while, then new owners kept purchasing it. Needless to say, it’s been a whirlwind for me as a renter 😵💫
At first, when this all came out, I was absolutely terrified. During that first year of my marriage ending, God held me steady with one scripture that became a lifeline. It would sustain and encourage me even now, nearly 5 years later.
“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”
Psalm 46:10 ESV
This scripture became the catalyst for the depth of my faith
During the years while the house was bouncing from owner to bank and back again, I had no idea what would happen, what would happen with the house, my finances weren’t great, or where we would go… Round and round the fears and the thoughts went. Round and round my emotions went. But God kept telling me to just be still. He would ask me, “Do you trust me?”. I will fully admit the first year or two was SO HARD! Of course, there were people on both sides of the spectrum that had their opinions too, “I mean you can trust God but you still need to get out there and be proactive.” or “God will do it all just relax and don’t worry about a thing”. As a single mom who is also very strong in my faith, I found myself stuck somewhere in the middle. I asked God what I should do and I felt like all I could do was focus on what I was able to control and give God the rest. I could work on my business and create a better income, and worry about the house later when that time came. So that’s what I did.
Faith of a mustard seed
Well, I fought for that spiritual faith every single day. I battled with depression and anxiety, enormous fears about this whole situation. And you know what? God moved mountains for me. There were some years that I didn’t pay rent at all. There was no one in charge, no one to send payment to, no one knew what was even going on! And there were years that I did pay rent and things were getting fixed and working out. I also took a leap in my business and God grew that by leaps and bounds which gave me a good solid income again. My faith grew. The thing that once seemed completely impossible, God had made a way right through all the crazy in the most unimaginable ways.
A Christmas miracle
In November the newest current landlord told me he wanted to completely renovate and sell the property and that he wished to terminate the lease. I felt that fear coming back. I knew I wanted to relocate but my income still wasn’t where I had hoped, and the housing market had gotten insane. Moving my kids in the timeframe he wanted (30 days) was literally impossible! Sometime towards the beginning of December we met and agreed that he would allow me to stay until the end of June 2023. Good, time to make some more money, plenty of time to look for new places, and let the kids get used to this big news. I had to laugh at the whole situation… Just seeing God work again in such a HUGE tangible way in my life and this, what would seem, an impossible situation, was absolutely unreal. That little bit of faith and obedience, He used to show me His power. It was also an answer to prayer because it was AN answer. I had waited in limbo for nearly 5 years not knowing what would happen. Now I had an end date for this chapter. Also, a new chapter shining just ahead.
The testing of faith
Well, It’s April 8th, 2023, and I have yet to find a new home. That old fear and anxiety have slowly begun to surface. Hearing the questions, “Have you found a place yet?”, “Better take whatever you can get.”, “Better hurry up.”, and on and on they go, It has all rocked my firm grip on stillness and trusting in Him. The urge to break down and crumble and give up haunts me on a daily basis. But there is something about the Holy Spirit, He fights for you even in the darkest moments. When you’re weary and afraid of the unknown. When you keep praying and don’t know if you can hear what God is saying anymore, or when you feel forgotten. Those times when you don’t have a clue what to do, that endless feeling of waiting for… The breaking point. Whether that be a breakdown or a breakthrough, it’s just a waiting game. Wondering if God will do it again or if you’ve used up all your miracles for the year because lord knows He’s given me a lot this year. And I don’t deserve a single one of them! But God is so good. The Holy Spirit fights for you. In these times of quietness, the waiting, the unknowns, when you don’t have the energy to pray one more time, “God let today be the day that you find me a home.”, or whatever it is that you may be praying endlessly for. The Holy Spirit fights for you, intercedes on behalf of YOU, gives you strength for every second that you need it, and gives you the rest and quiet you seek.
“for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness”
James 1:3 ESV
Okay, God, I see you.
The eve of Easter
I’ve filled the anxiety and overthinking and fear with work. God has blessed me with clients and income and amazing things, and maybe part of that was to distract me from the constant and endless thinking, but in some ways, it’s allowed me to skip out on bringing these fears to Him. Today has been the first day in weeks that I’ve been able to take a breath. Between homeschooling and work and random activities in between, I haven’t had much time to do much of anything let alone just enjoy the quiet and reflect. But today, being the night before Easter has me really thinking about what Jesus’ disciples must have been feeling. That waiting. They saw the Son of God die on the cross. Talk about rocking your faith. I cannot imagine how they must have felt outside of the grief of watching their friend be crucified. I’m talking about the faith- and the waiting. Jesus said he would come back. The waiting must have felt unbearable. The waves of emotion these men and women must have felt. Did they have doubts? After seeing all of Jesus’s miracles, I wonder from my current situation if they had some of the same doubts. Did they falter in their faith? Did they truly know just how powerful God was? That He could, and absolutely was bout to do the most incredible thing yet? Like, there is this emotion that you know God is capable, but just how capable? Did they think and feel that too?
But on the third day…
The reminder of God doing the impossible, defeating death, Raising Jesus from the dead… I get chills because He IS that powerful. Not could be, maybe, we’ll see… IS! The timing of my situation, my struggle in faith and anxiety, Easter approaching… His timing is always perfect. He knows our needs, our emotions, our thoughts, and when we need that reminder of just who exactly He is.
Another one of my favorite verses:
“He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, 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.”
Isaiah 40:29-31 ESV
This verse reminds us that when we wait on the Lord, we are not weak, but we are renewed in strength. It’s like taking a deep breath and exhaling all of our worries and concerns, knowing that God has everything under control.
For the ones that are waiting
Sometimes it’s hard to be patient, especially when we are facing difficult circumstances or unanswered prayers. I know this all too well. We want to take control of the situation and fix it ourselves. However, God’s timing is perfect, and His plans are always for our good. Psalm 27:14 encourages us to “Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!” It reminds us that waiting on the Lord is not a passive activity but requires strength and courage. It’s not easy to wait, but when we trust in God, we know that He will come through for us. It’s that testing of faith that will produce steadfastness – (n. the quality of being resolutely or dutifully firm and unwavering).
In the New Testament, we also see the disciples waiting on the Lord again after His ascension into heaven. In Acts 1:4, Jesus tells them, “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about.” The disciples obeyed and waited in Jerusalem for the promised gift of the Holy Spirit. When the time came, they received the power to boldly proclaim the Gospel message to the world. Waiting on the Lord can be difficult, but when we are obedient, we can expect to see God’s power and provision in our lives. Maybe the only thing God is asking you to do is to be still, to wait. We need to be obedient in that.
When you feel forgotten
Sometimes we may wonder if God has forgotten about us or if He even hears our prayers. Romans 8:28 reminds us that “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” We can trust that even in the midst of our waiting, God is working for our good and His glory. We may not always understand what He is doing, but we can be confident that His plans are always far better.
Waiting is a reminder of our dependence on Him
This is when we grow in our faith and learn to trust Him more. It’s like exercising a muscle, the more we wait on the Lord, the stronger our faith becomes. As we wait on Him, we can take comfort in the words of Isaiah 30:18,
“Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him.”
Isaiah 30:18
Exercising your faith and waiting on the Lord is an essential part of the Christian life. It’s an opportunity to trust in God’s timing and plan, to renew our strength in Him, to be strong and courageous, and to see His power and provision in our lives.
When we wait on the Lord, we are not just waiting for something to happen, but we are waiting on God’s perfect timing and for His will to be done. I may not know where I am moving to yet. I don’t know how it’s all going to happen. But what I do know is that I serve a mighty God that has already done the ultimate that many deemed “impossible”. I’ve seen Him do countless miracles in my very own life, and I know that He already has a plan in motion for me, and for you, friend.
“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
To read more faith-based blog posts you can visit my blog page here. Don’t forget to follow me, subscribe to my newsletter to stay up-to-date on all the latest at SimplyKerri, and follow me on all my socials.
Pin and save this post for later.
Bible Photo by Sixteen Miles Out on Unsplash