I always want to be authentic and real on this blog. I do my best to share the good times and the bad times, and all of what God is teaching me in the midst of that, in hopes to encourage you in your faith.
So, let's be a little extra real today. This has been something on my heart and mind for quite a while now, but just recently this post idea came about, and it is truly my prayer that the Lord encourages you as much as He's encouraged me through inspiring this post.
Being in a waiting season is really, really hard.
It's hard to sit back and wait for the Lord to do something we know He can do. It's even harder if we are also watching Him do that same thing we are praying so desperately for in the lives of people around us. It's hard to have faith that the Lord will actually do what He has promised us to do. It's hard to believe that He hasn't actually left us - because friends, doesn't God just seem so far sometimes? It's hard to hold onto joy when your heart aches for whatever God has yet to do. It's hard to not get defeated when it feels like forever has gone by with no answered prayers.
I get it. It's hard for me too.
Every single post I write I mean with my whole heart - every post about joy, contentment, freedom, all of it, I mean it. But in some days, in some seasons, that joy, contentment, and freedom is intermingled with grief, heartache, and struggle. I'm learning to be okay with that, and how to let go of the labels I tend to define myself with. but that can be hard, can't it? The struggle sometimes overwhelms me, and the unfulfilled promises weigh heavy on my heart.
I don't know what you're waiting on God for. Guidance. Answers. Strength. A boyfriend or husband (or a girlfriend or a wife). A friend or community. A baby. A job. Success of some sort. Healing. Someone you love to come to know Jesus.
I don't know what that is for you, but can we just sit here and understand and empathize with the fact that so many of us are waiting for an answered prayer, a miracle, a promise. So many of us are wrestling with that, for so many different reasons yet such similar struggles. I want you to know that you are not alone in your waiting. You are not the only one going through this. And you will make it through.
Because we serve an insanely faithful God. Like unimaginably faithful. Even when we don't feel it, even when we don't see it, even when we don't understand it, God is faithful, and He is good.
In our waiting, that can be hard to remember. It feels like God has left, like He has abandoned us, and that He may no longer follow through on His promises. It feels like there's no way for our miracle to happen, and we are going to be stuck in this place forever.
But, like I said, our God is insanely faithful. I could pull so many examples from Scripture, but one that is pressing close to my heart right now is the "silent years".
You see, there was a 400 year gap between the Old Testament and the New Testament, and within that time, as far as we know, God did not speak through any prophet. It was literally silent, no communication between us and God. God had been promising a Messiah, someone to save them, and then, there was nothing. Generations and generations passed with no Messiah, no word from the Lord.
Can you imagine how difficult that would be for the Israelites to keep trusting? I can't fathom it; honestly, it leaves me speechless.
BUT. At the end of those 400 years, that incredibly long waiting season, the Messiah came. Jesus was born in an unlikely, unpredictable way, but in a perfectly planned and intentional way. He came, fulfilling the promise, even though it would have seemed like God had forgotten about His promise or was never going to follow through. He fulfilled the promise of hope, freedom, and redemption, even when the promise probably seemed empty and fake.
You see, our waiting seasons may feel long. It may even feel unbearably long. But let me remind you that our God does not work on the same timeline as we do. He is still working, and He is still making things happen. The promises He has spoken to you will come true. Because that's the kind of God we serve.
I don't know what kind of waiting season you are in or how long you've been waiting for, but I want you to know that you are not alone and your struggle is valid. I want you to know that the Lord is with you, and even though it may not feel like it, He does have a purpose for this season and He will follow through with every promise He makes to you. He is faithful and good, and sometimes, that is the only thing we can cling to in our waiting season.
For me, one of the things that encourages me most to keep faith during a difficult waiting season is to remember the times God has come through for me before. I remember the season of anxiety and depression that was seemingly endless, that swallowed me up, but how eventually, the Lord did come through for me and showed me a greater joy than I could ever imagine. I have countless stories like this, and I'm sure you do too, so feel free to share those down in the comments below! I would love to hear them, and you never know how your story may encourage someone else. :)
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