I remember the days as a teenager when my friends and I would be dreaming of our someday prince charmings and pinterest weddings. I remember feeling as if my prince would never come. I thought I would never get to do all the fun wedding things. People would always tell me “Katelyn just wait on the Lord”. I remember thinking to myself “Okay once I get married I’ll never have to wait on the Lord again”. I laugh at myself now because boy was I wrong. If we really think about it. We are all in some kind of season of waiting right now. You may be waiting for the Lord to bring you a spouse, waiting to find that perfect home for you and your family, waiting for a ministry opportunity you feel called to, waiting for God to give you children, or waiting for your loved one to be healed from a disease. These are just a few things you could be waiting on.  These are all things I have personally had to wait on. Some things I waited a short time. Some things I am still waiting on. Some did not turn out the way I prayed. I would like to share with you some verses and thoughts that have helped me in each season of waiting. 

The first season of waiting I want to talk about is the season that did not turn out the way I prayed. In June of 2019 my Mamah got diagnosed with stage 3 lung cancer. I had just gotten married not even a month prior to getting this news. It was absolutely devastating for my family and I. My Mamah and I had a very close relationship. The thought of losing her was just not comprehensible. I prayed and waited for God to cure my Mamah. It felt like she battled cancer for years.  It was really only about a year and half later she went home to Heaven. At the time I could not understand why God would take my Mamah. To be honest I still do not fully understand. So, how do you deal with seasons of waiting that don’t turn out how you prayed. Isaiah 55:8-9 says “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts “. You will face a season of waiting where it will not turn out the way you prayed. You may never fully understand why it had to be this way. Remember, God sees the bigger picture. God’s ways are higher than ours. Time does not heal all wounds, but God does. The verse that honestly gave me the most comfort in this specific situation is Romans 8:28  “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose “  I remember thinking to myself how in the world could God use my Mamah’s passing away from cancer for good? Well, he has used it for good, over and over again. People have actually gotten saved because of certain situations that only happened because of her passing. My family and I have been able to help others as they go through their trials because of what we went through, and the list could go on. Though I still miss her greatly, I know that God makes no mistakes, and her passing is not in vain. God will use your season of waiting that did not turn out the way you prayed for good IF you allow him to.

 How about the seasons of waiting that turned out exactly how we wanted? 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.“ How often does God give us exactly what we prayed for? For some reason we always talk ourselves into thinking “It was just a coincidence”. You may not say that out loud or in your mind, but subconsciously we do. “ Oh, I did not need to pray for that, it worked itself out anyways”. No, God did that for you! I am so guilty of this. We never hesitate to ask God for the things we want or need. However, we often forget to thank him when he answers exactly how we wanted. How do you feel when someone is constantly asking you to do things for them? They never say thank you or show you any kind of appreciation. You’ll very quickly not feel like doing anything for them anymore right? I wonder if God sometimes feels that way about us?     

The last season of waiting is the one who is still waiting. I am currently in this season right now. My husband and I are waiting for God to give us children. I know I am not alone in this season of waiting. It has been HARD! I found myself consumed with not being able to have children. I allowed myself to become bitter. I am happy to say that by the grace of God I have overcome that bitterness. I have found peace in waiting. How did I do that? Well, I prayed a LOT! Psalm 55:22 says  “Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.” I would get up every day and give it back to God. This went on for a while. For some reason I kept wanting to take it back from Him. I eventually got to a point that I was no longer thinking about it. It was no longer consuming me. It was no longer heavy. I found that journaling verses about waiting was super helpful. My favorite verse is “Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD. “ Psalm 27:14. It is hard to wait for something that you have no idea whether or not it is going to happen. God will give you peace that passes all understanding. Philippians 4:7 says ” And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” . If you will give it to God I promise that He will give you peace that passes all understanding. You may have to get up every day and give it back to him until you finally fully let go of it. When you finally let go completely you will be so glad you did. Before I did this the thought of never having children broke me inside. Would I still love to have children? Yes, I would. Am I going to be upset at God if I never have any? No, because God sees the bigger picture. I would much rather have what God wants for my life. I have now found so much joy in it just being my husband and I. I love this season of life we are in right now. Sometimes I wonder how much joy I missed out on because I let my season of waiting consume me?

 Friend, no matter what season of waiting you are in, God sees you. He is actually working on it right now! Remember, Ephesians 3:20 says “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us”. God is going to come through for you. In HIS timing.  It will be better than you ever imagined. I hope you too can find joy in waiting for whatever it is you are waiting for.