Psalm 27:14 – Wait on the LORD: Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.
When we are waiting on something that we really want to happen, we sometimes get impatient. People say that patience is a virtue. Many people tell us to wait on God’s timing. That is easier said than done.
Early on in my marriage, I knew I wanted children quickly. My husband and I were not getting any younger, and everyone else our age already had several children of their own. We both desperately wanted to start our family. As the weeks and months turned into years, we waited for our family to begin. We sought counselling with our pastor, as well as with medical professionals. I was not always patient. I was not always understanding, and unfortunately, I was not always happy for others when I heard of their pregnancies.
One day, I looked in the mirror and did not like what I saw. It was the image of a woman who had become bitter. I resented the other women who I knew that were having babies left and right, and I started feeling sorry for myself. After having my last little pity party, I brushed myself off and was determined to start fresh.
I was a fairly new Christian at the time, so I did the only thing I knew how to do: work for God. My husband and I started going out with our church for every soulwinning time they had, which was three times a week. We poured our lives into leading others to Christ. We went to the Philippines on a missions trip and our group was able to lead over 10,000 precious souls to Christ there. We worked on a bus route. As the route grew, we were able to lead many of the riders and their parents to Christ. We taught bus kids in Sunday school. I went to women’s prayer meetings and Bible studies. I was soaking up everything I could get out of the Christian life. Yet, I still wanted children. We had people all over the world praying for us to be able to have just one if that was all God was willing to give to us.
In the midst of my waiting on God’s timing for something I wanted, I was being rooted and grounded in the life that God wanted for me. As I was waiting, God was strengthening me in my Christian walk. Through the waiting, He was molding and making me into the person that He wanted me to be and into the mother that I needed to be for my children. I read the account of Hannah many, many times through that long wait for God to answer my prayers. I begged, pleaded, and cried many, many tears. However, God is faithful!
I have learned that waiting on the Lord’s timing is an important part of the Christian life. If God had not given me the strength that He promises in Psalm 27:14 to wait on His timing, I would not have learned all of the things that He taught me during that time. By waiting on His timing, God was able to instill in me the priceless lessons onto which I held and now can pass on to my children. Waiting on God’s timing is, sometimes, the hardest thing to do; however, it is always the best thing to do.
by Jennifer Bassler
