What is it about “waiting” that can be so hard?

“Therefore, return to your God,
Observe kindness and justice,
And wait for your God continually.“—Hosea 12:6

There are many of us who have fought, pressed through, kept going, not given up…. and yet when we get to the part of “waiting” in time of unknown…. when God seems “quiet”…..when things “don’t look so good”…when we feel that we cannot hear or see what our God is doing….

“Our soul waits for the Lord;
He is our help and our shield.”—Psalm 33:20

Many give up in this “time of waiting”…

But now is not the time to give up!

Now is not the time to lose hope!

Now is not the time to lose focus!

Now is the time to stand as we lock eyes with our Lord Jesus!

This is KEY:

“Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master,
As the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress,
So our eyes look to the Lord our God,
Until He is gracious to us.“—Psalm 123:2

Now is the part where we stand, even when we don’t think we can stand any longer…

Now is the part where we say, “We will remain faithful to our God! We will wait for Him! No matter what scheme the enemy is trying to use to steal our hope…

“Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him;
Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way,
Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes.”—Psalm 37:7

No matter what we see, no matter what we don’t see…

No matter what we hear, no matter what we do not hear…

This is the part where God’s people show what they’re really made of.

This is the part where God’s people show who, WHO they’re really “made of.”

WHO are you made of?

“Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains. You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near.“—James 5:7-8

If you belong to Jesus, then you are fortified by Him, for He lives in you!

Remember, in Him, you are made able to stand—even when you don’t think you can stand any longer, He has made you able!

He strengthens you, He gives you hope.

(And what do you think “times of waiting” does in us? Creates and grows—within us?) ??☀️

No matter what the “lies” and the “accusations” and the “discouragement” tries to do to your heart and to your mind…

Now is the time to stand and to keep standing, now is the time to zero in on Jesus, to remind ourselves of the hope we have in Him, now is the time to say…

“Oh Father, many are saying, ‘Where is our God?’…..and many are saying, “ha, where is your God now?’…… but I say, ‘My God, I KNOW You are here, I know You are doing something that we cannot see in the moment, and I trust You—no matter how I feel, no matter what attempts come against me, no matter what I see, no matter what I hear. I am tuning into YOU, and I will wait for You expectantly…. You have promised to see Your people through. It may look different than I would have expected, it may look different than I would have preferred…. but God, You are as faithful now as You have ever been, and You are ALWAYS faithful. I will wait and I will keep waiting for You!”

And remember…

“Therefore the Lord longs to be gracious to you,
And therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you.
For the Lord is a God of justice;
How blessed are all those who long for Him.”—Isaiah 30:18

“…but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men’s hearts; and then each man’s praise will come to him from God.“—1 Corinthians 4:5

“…looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus…”—Titus 2:13

And as we wait on Him, continually…. we pray, continually…

“Restore us, O God of hosts;

Cause Your face to shine,

And we shall be saved!”—Psalm 80:7

Thank You, Father. ? There are many things we do not understand right now, but we know that You do. We will wait on you, continually. Strengthen our hearts, that we may stand in Your strength, and that we may walk in Your ways. You have created us to live in this time, and You will see us through.

And one day, God’s people will say…

“And in that day it will be said, “Surely this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He has saved us. This is the LORD for whom we have waited. Let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation.”—Isaiah 25:9

-Heather ?