I slipped on my shoes, grabbed my camera and headed out the door to go for a walk and breathe in my favorite time of year. I am in awe surrounded by God’s creation.
There is a crispness in the air. Leaves are turning colors. The fallen ones crunch beneath my shoes. Many flowers have left only seed pods behind. Combines are taking the crops out of the fields. Wagons are hauling the grain. The earth around me is so peaceful. As I am surrounded by the beauty of the change of seasons, I lift my eyes to Him and I am reminded to be still and wait.
Sometimes all we can do is wait.
We all have different journeys in life and along the way there is going to be a time for waiting. Our society has grown impatient with just about everything. Waiting isn’t really on the minds of many people today. Waiting isn’t fun. Everyone wants what they want . . . now. But there is a peace that can come in the waiting. I have grown tremendously during the times of prayer and waiting.
Patience is a great gift. It has taken me time to see it as a gift. I have learned when my patience is tested, I must give it to God. I give Him my worries and frustrations and trust Him completely because I am called to walk by faith. I wait in hope because He surrounds me like a shield, He is my protection along the way and He will be my strength.
I acknowledge the Giver of all things and thank Him for his goodness and His mercy and His love. My hope is in Him. His love never fails. Be still and wait in hope because there is so much more to come.
I hope this free printable serves as a gentle reminder of His protection while we wait in hope. You can click here {free 5″ x 7″ PDF printable} and you will be able to download it to print. Personal use only, please.
Have you gone through a season of waiting in your life? How did you grow during that time?
By Jennifer, StudioJRU.
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Seasons of waiting can be some of the hardest seasons. It’s so very difficult not to get impatient and go ahead of God. I can remember as a young mom talking about this with a friend. We were sharing personal situations where God’s timing was perfect and how God was never late and the friend piped up, “Yes, but he’s rarely early!” Ha! True. We just have to learn to wait it out.
“Yes, but he’s rarely early!”~ Love! Thanks for the chuckle.
Ahaha! That is so true… I love it. Thank you for sharing, Lisa!
Jennifer,
I share with you a love of this season…Fall reminds me, that if I wait patiently, there WILL be a harvest. I have gone through several periods of major waiting in my life…each of them has taught me about God’s shielding love in the process. I have waited a lifetime to be married to the wonderful man God has provided for me. He loves me and cherishes me and every day he points me to the Lord’s great love for me. To get to this point, I had to go through terrible pain and grief and yes, waiting. Thankfully, though, weeping endures for the night, but joy comes in the morning. Thanks for a beautiful reminder of God’s great love for us in our waiting…
Blessings,
Bev
Oh yes, joy comes in the morning! Thank you for sharing your story of waiting, Bev. It is such an encouragement for us all!
Jennifer,
Such truth. We live in such a “hurry-up” world that we must learn to be intentional and mindful of slowing down, even stopping for a time, and waiting on God to show us his plan. Waiting can be painful as we realize that we are not in control, that we have to place some of the most precious things in his hand and know/believe that He is ALWAYS good. Always working for our good. I put to memory the passage you referred to this morning. Praying it as I would lay in bed late at night wondering about the safety and well-being of my son. Praying/waiting over ten years for my prodigal’s heart to be at home with the Father, living out the plans God has for him. I spent the past several months waiting on God’s perfect timing to take my 92 year old Grandmother home to heaven. The waiting was hard and yet beautiful as I saw and received the gifts He gave to her and to me duringthose precious hours together. Thank you for sharing this message. It rings true.
May we all know his joy, peace, and beauty in the waiting!
Melanie
The waiting is so often hard, but the beauty in it is a gift. Thank you for sharing your experiences, Melanie. Wonderful examples of how He is always working for our good!
Jennifer, thank you for the reminder of all that comes in waiting. I waited for years for the gift of motherhood. Walking the road of infertility taught me to trust God’s plan. It strengthened my faith in Him and showed me His incredible love for me—and each of His children. I would not have asked to walk that road, but I wouldn’t trade the lessons learned on the journey!
That is certainly how it often works, isn’t it, Jeanne? We would not ask for the road, but we are forever changed for the better because of it. So grateful He showed you His incredible love in the waiting!
A powerful message for our impatient hearts. I have to remind myself to b patient in some things. Thank you for a reminder today.
Thank you, Sarita. I am working on my patience too!
Thank you for your timely post. As I try to wait patiently in a storm that I have been going through for over 20 years I guess I haven’t seen or learned what God is trying to show me or am afraid to face what is staring me right in the face. Yet I am still waiting..
Praying you will see what you are meant to see in the waiting, Paulette. I have found sometimes it takes time to see everything clearly. Or sometimes we may not fully understand it, but just have to trust His ways.
Thank you Jennifer for your encouraging words. So true. All I can do is wait upon the Lord. He is my shield and the one who helps me. So I wait knowing and believing He will come through. He blesses me in the midst of my waiting! He is with me every step of the wait. Oh how I love you Jesus!
Beautifully said, Joanne. A gift to know His love!
The promise of HIS best for me makes my current season of waiting with His hope bitter sweet. In other words, waiting only works when life is all about HIM. ~experienced waiter living in HIS hope (Romans 8)
Yes, Deena. Such a great point. We must keep our focus on Him through our waiting!
I needed this message/reminder today.
Daily I have to recall the things that God has done for us through the process of purchasing a home. Even though we’re in a time crunch and want things done yesterday, I stop and am reminded that God has guided this entire process perfectly!
I sit. I wait today. Waiting in hope and expectancy.
Purchasing a home is really a time of waiting, isn’t it, Kela?! I love hearing you see how He has guided your entire process perfectly! Awesome!!
I’m in a season of waiting. Waiting for healing for my oldest son from addiction, waiting for a diagnosis to come back-praying no cancer cells, waiting for things to slow down so we can move forward with adopting our foster son. waiting on surgery for my middle son. I’ve been feeling a little overwhelmed. I’m remembering to sit at the feet of The Lord and ask for more of HIM and less of me in the waiting. Thanks for the reminder!
Oh, Lisa. I can only image the strength it takes to wait through so much at one time. I would feel overwhelmed too. Praying you feel His love and guidance while you are waiting. Praying for you and your family.
Thank you for these words. I’m in a season of waiting and this was refreshing.
So happy to hear you found it refreshing, Beth!
Oh, how I long to grow… and yet resist the opposition that makes it possible~
Yes, what we all hope for, Suzanne!
I’m in a season of waiting. I’ve been going through cancer treatments for the past 21 months. It takes it’s toll,but I have a wonderful husband that is right at my side all the way,( thank you Lord). I ask The Lord to show me which way to go,to open doors and close them. Yes, I have learned a tremendous amount through this,and I know Lord is right smack in the middle of it all. I’m normally on the go, doing all kinds of things, but this has made me slow way down. I’ve never laid down or just sat as much as I have during this time. Good things have from it though, like finding this website, also taking more time to be with Jesus. Keep strong ladies and keep waiting, he is faithful.
He is right smack in the middle of it all. He sure is, Beth! What a blessing to have a wonderful husband by your side through this. Praying for you.
I am so thankful that I found this today. Earlier I had the same revelation. I went for an afternoon walk and was overcome by the beauty of the day and everything that God has given us, even though we are unworthy. Looking at the leaves I was walking through and seeing the beautiful colors I’m reminded that there is a season for all things. My biggest issue is insecurity and codependency. I recently thought I found the man of my dreams. A couple months into it I could see him slipping and instead of calling him out of in, I almost enabled it. Just nodded my head while he was ranting on with his discontentment with life and sometimes I even joined in. Then one day I was put walking, audibly praying to God on whether or not I should stay where I am or move back to my hometown. Did He directly answer me about this? No. Instead He put one thing on my heart. Be alone. So, as I had promised, I abided by what I was being told and broke off the relationship. I figured God wanted our time because we had been spending too much time with each other and not enough time with Him. I tried to see the silver lining… God did this with purpose. Possibly to strengthen ourselves and help keep one another strong without being so involved with one another. Since then my prince charming has lost grip completely. He too had told me that he felt God was telling him the same thing and that he needed to strengthen his relationship with Him. It sounded like an opportunity for growth but now he has not only grown cold toward me, but toward God. Just last night he was yelling, saying that he didn’t care about the church, he was probably going to go to Hell anyway, and he was adamant that he couldn’t turn away from the path that he was already going down. I feel so stuck and overwhelmed. I want to be there, I want to give him encouragement, but at the same time, I don’t want to get lost. Just about every time I reach out to him, he pushes me away… Leaving me feeling more rejected than ever. My heart aches to see him fall, but it also aches because of the loneliness and rejection that I have felt. I’ve prayed for God to stir in him and soften his heart, but today I finally broke and cried out to Him, asking that the thoughts and feelings of this man be taken from my mind. I know I’m in a season of waiting, but it HURTS and it’s so difficult to stay strong during this particular season. Any prayers are greatly appreciated!
I am so sorry you are going through this painful season, Brandi. I know how hard it is to stay strong when it is so hard. Just try your best and pray. We will be praying for you to feel Him in the waiting.
Brandi,
Prayers for your heart to heal completely! It is so hard to lose what you think is from God. But God does know best and He can for see the future. May you see and sense God during this alone and waiting time!
Thank you for this encouragement. My husband and I have been separated for 18 months and the sorrow and waiting sometimes feel excruciating. But I trust God will redeem this season in our lives for something better.
I am so sorry you have this sorrow during the waiting, Anne Marie. I wish there were something I could say, but sometimes we just have to wait and it is not easy. It sounds like you are trusting Him during this most difficult time. That is all you can do. We will be praying for you and your husband.
Will do Brandi. I’m so sorry.
I’m encouraged by this post….I love when I see a post and feel that it may be for me…but also have a little bit of fear wondering what it will say! I’m currently in a season of waiting because I am living in my hometown but missing the region of the country where I attended college. Recently I have been blessed with a peace of knowing that I am where I am supposed to be for now (if not forever) and need to invest fully here while I wait for guidance and next steps. Sometimes I get impatient, but at this point I can only really wait and pray.
What a gift to have the peace of knowing you are meant to be where you are *for now*. And then knowing the need to invest fully at this moment. Wow. Thanks so much for encouraging all of us with your story, Kristen!
I was reminded of a verse from Isaiah 40:31 when I read your devotional…”They that wait upon the Lord will renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings as eagles. They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not faint…” I feel renewed in my spirit and refreshed as I feel the touch of the Lord. Life is filled with times of waiting, but we have the privilege of using this time to learn more of God’s ways. I can enjoy His presence in every situation, whether painful or joyful. I have been waiting for over 20 years for the salvation of my husband. It is hard, but, I realize how precious this time is for me to totally rely on the Lord and trust in His timing. Thank you for the words of encouragement and inspiration. I continue to pray and wait upon the Lord for His perfect timing.
Oh yes, Kathy, I love that verse and reminder. Praying for you as you wait upon His perfect timing… especially in those tough times.
I have cerebral palsy and can get pretty irritated when I can’t accomplish projects as quickly as I’d like. God often reminds His project is (my heart) is more important than mine. It often amazes me how being still and waiting on Him relaxes me.
Thank you for the reminder to us all that His project is more important than our own, Lyla!
I am a fretful, intermittent trust-er.
I said to a friend recently that I feel as if I am in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, no land in sight, and all I have to stand on is a single piling named “God is Good”, waves lapping at my toes. This season of waiting has been years-long for me, and while I still trust in God’s goodness, every.other.foundation. has been swept away.
Not a bad place to be, truth be told, but still, encouragements to wait well are so heartening. Thank you!
Oh I understand, I can be a bit of a worrier myself. And I know what a bit of encouragement can do. So grateful you felt encouragement today. Praying for you in your season of waiting, Joyful Potter!
Jennifer,
Such a power testimony! I love the fall season as I can see God’s handiwork all around me.
I’ve had several periods of waiting in my life. I waited a long time for a great hubby. One who would love me for me no matter what! God sent me a great hubby 10 years ago. He has been there for me during my parents’ illnesses and just loved me during my trials!
I waited for about 2 years for my mom to die. She came home from hospital with dementia and sundowners and was bedridden. It was painful to see her weekly going down hill. But graciously God took her home and out of her misery! What a blessing it was to know she no longer in pain!
He has waited for a good job change closer to home. Prayerfully that has happened this year as he starts a new job next week with same company!
This year has been tough dealing with my dad’s medical problems and 2 hospitalizations, but the waiting is over and he is finally ok for his age. He is semi content with living in assisted living.
I’ve waited some for a different/better job. This year my job has become super stressful. Most days I don’t even want to go in to the office. I feel like I’m on a merry go round and want off any way possible. I’ve prayed and had others to pray also for me. Soon my waiting will end. I love Jeremiah 29:11
I am a very impatient person and do not like waiting. But through all of the waiting I’ve learned to pray more, harder, lean into and get closer to God!!
Your story is beautiful and encouraging, Beth. How awesome to hear these praises after your waiting. Thanks so much for sharing!
I am in a season for waiting, waiting for my mother to get the go-ahead for the medical treatment that she needs. It is hard because life feels so very uncertain and fragile and I don’t know what the future holds. The decision on my mother’s treatment is out of my control. I’m trying to keep faith and to pray, but some days are harder than others. Thank you for this post.
It can be so hard to not be in control, Grace. I understand that feeling well! That is where our faith comes in, right? No way to get through these times without that faith. Praying for you and your mother.
Such a great message and I love the scripture card. Thanks so much! What is the translation you used?
I found it! There are so many versions today – simply amazing. It’s New International Readers Version.