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How do we wait on God when life turns us upside down and inside out?
Saturday morning cartoons became a ritual in my girlhood. I grabbed my bowl of sugared Cheerios and planted myself in front of the television. Each heroic character in my favorite— “Super Friends”—seemed so powerful. They controlled their situations, even when all the opposition seemed to overwhelm them.
My own life allowed little control. Being bullied throughout elementary school instilled fear in me. I felt trapped and like rejection was my only true companion.
In time, I learned how to fit in and control my reactions in most situations. Learning to control what I could to avoid pain seemed a worthy goal. My plans left nothing to chance. I was good at this. This mindset worked for many years.
Why it’s hard to wait on God in hard seasons
Even after becoming a Christian, I believed I had control of my life. Control made me feel safe. I mistakenly thought I could orchestrate circumstances to minimize pain and trials.
When control is our end, the idea of waiting on God seems scary.
After Hubs and I married, we tried to become pregnant. God used our inability to conceive to show me that, no, I was not in control. I chafed at this reality. Waiting on God for a baby didn’t figure into my plans.
We considered fertility treatments. We did “all the things” to encourage pregnancy. Nothing worked. I fought God. Every month, every time a friend announced her pregnancy, every Mother’s Day pain stabbed my heart.
What feels painful to us can be purifying in God’s eyes.
Control of our lives
As humans, and maybe especially as women, we crave control. Whether we’re trying to mask a fear of something (pain, heartache, the unknown) or because we don’t feel safe allowing anyone control over us, this desire can drive us to do drastic things.
Avoiding pain
God used our season of infertility to reveal wounds I’d buried deep inside since girlhood. I tried to avoid facing them, but this only led to a different sort of pain.
Only as I allowed the Lord to deal with my heart wounds—when I got real with Him—did I begin to change. His “heart work” hurt. But to not allow God to do the necessary healing would’ve hurt much more. I learned to listen and wait on God as He spoke the truth over the lies I believed.
Waiting on God in hard seasons can leave us feeling helpless. But, it’s often in the waiting times, when our Father does His most amazing work.
Why It's Important to Wait on God in Hard Seasons—It’s often in the waiting times, when our Father does His most amazing work. #tellhisstory #trustinggod Click To TweetWhy it’s important to wait on God
Until we’re willing to wait on God—to trust Him—we’re fighting Him, even being disobedient to Him. But when we choose to trust God, our hearts begin to heal.
We each must learn that God’s plans for us are far better than any we craft for ourselves. When we trust God with our uncertainties, our pain, our heartaches, we give Him “permission” to do what He must do in our lives. When we trust our Father in our waiting times, we can know His peace.
Even when God’s plans feel painful, they’re for our best, and they prepare us for future plans He has for us. Often, that growth takes time and requires us to wait with trust.
Mindset shifts
How do we wait on God in a healthy way?
- Remember who God is. He is always trustworthy, and He’s the One who loves us most.
- Decide whom we trust more: Our Father or ourselves.
- God never wastes our pain. He always has reasons for what He allows into our lives.
How do we wait on God?
Learning to wait on God is a discipline forged over a lifetime, not pasted into us in a single moment. God gives us many opportunities to learn how to wait well. What helps us to wait on God well:
- Yield our desires, our pain, our confusion to Him.
- Trust Him more than we trust ourselves. He promises to bring us through hard seasons in His perfect way and time.
- Remember why we trust Him. Our Father is trustworthy, faithful, and unchanging. And He loves us more than we can understand. Though we may not know why God has us in a painful season—why we must wait for His deliverance—we can rest in the truth that He loves and is for us.
Conclusion
Watching Saturday morning cartoons didn’t teach me how to take control of my life. Nor did those superheroes equip me for the hard seasons I’ve walked through. They especially didn’t teach me how to wait on God. But learning how to offer my plans into God’s hands and trust Him to lead me through the painful seasons has shown me what real control is.
When we wait on God in our hard seasons, He uses our trials to teach us how to draw closer to Him, to prepare us for the good things He has, and to teach us how to become more like Jesus. What we control is how we respond to our Father.
God treasures our lives and hearts. He loves us, and He will do what’s necessary to conform us into the image of Jesus. Why? Because The Lord knows where we are right now is not the final picture of the work he began in our lives (Philippians 1:6).
Pain, suffering, and trials are tools God uses to shape us into the person who can best reflect His glory.
What about you? What helps you wait on God to work in hard seasons? What is one mindset shift that’s helped you wait on God well?
Next week, we’ll link up at Donna’s at Serenity and Suffering. Be sure to bookmark this so you can find it easily. 😊
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It seems my lessons about waiting are lengthy but I’m growing in my ability to surrender. I agree that how we respond to Him truly matters. At times I do well. Others–not so much.
Wonderful post, friend.
Tammy, it seems that as I age and grow in maturity, surrendering is becoming a little easier. I have those times too, where I do well and times when I definitely don’t. Thank goodness for God’s grace!
Such a wonderful post, Jeanne. And amen to this: “What we control is how we respond to our Father.” That’s what it really boils down to, isn’t it? Waiting can make me anxious and irritable faster than anything else. The only way I can ever hope to wait well is to pray, “Your will be done, not mine.” Hugs, friend.
Lois, thanks for your kind words. Waiting can make me anxious and irritable too. Praying, “Your will not mine” is such a good thing to do! I need to remember this the next time I start to feel myself spinning up. Thanks for your insights, friend!
Pondering this, I’m wondering if I am ever NOT waiting for something! Trusting God is a mindset I can always be striving for. Staying connected with other Christians is one way to help my mindset. Thanks for sharing His words here.
Lynn, I had to grin. I think I am often waiting for something. I find God has ways of placing me in situations where I must trust Him, and this rarely comes easily for me. I like what you said about staying connected with other Christians being helpful for growing in trusting God.
Learning to surrender our own control is definitely a lesson I’ve had to learn again and again through life (maybe every single day?).
Oh, Lisa. I am so with you. Just when I think I’ve surrendered control in one area of my life, God reveals another area where I’m struggling to let go. I’m thankful for His patience as I learn how to wait in the surrender. Thanks so much for stopping by, my friend.
Waiting is one of the hardest things for us humans to do & often we don’t do it very well.
My mind shift has come through having chronic illness over the last 18 years…one being chronic pain.
Focusing my eyes upon the Lord & not on circumstances is the best, as the old hymn says, ‘Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full into His wonderful face & the things of this Earth grow strangely dim in the light of His glory & grace…’
Bless you Jeanne,
Jennifer
Jennifer, yes, waiting is so hard for humans. God does have ways of teaching us how to wait through real-life circumstances. You’re so right that the best way to navigate waiting seasons is to keep our eyes and hearts focused on Jesus and remembering the truths of His word. Thank you for sharing lessons you’ve learned, friend!
Waiting doesn’t go with our text messaging, microwave mentality. Taking control of our responses instead of trying to hurry God is a wonderful display of self-control.
Debbie, you’re so right. Waiting doesn’t easily translate in a culture where everything can be had almost instantly. I’m so thankful God helps us develop self-control, often with first-hand practice. 🙂
I haven’t had time lately to link up and I’ve missed your thoughtful posts. Thank you.
Ahhh, Lauren, I’ve missed you. Thanks so much for stopping by. Saying a prayer for you today.
This is a huge truth borne out of life’s journey with the Lord, Jeanne, “When we trust God with our uncertainties, our pain, our heartaches, we give Him “permission” to do what He must do in our lives. When we trust our Father in our waiting times, we can know His peace.” And His peace is priceless!
Lisa, I imagine we each have stories of what God’s taught us through waiting times and painful seasons, right? And yes, His peace is priceless! Thank you for being an encouraging presence here, friend.
Waiting can be hard. I’m thankful that God is with us in the waiting season. We can rest in His presence and comfort. 🙂
Oh yes, Melissa. Waiting can be hard! There is comfort in knowing God is with us in the waiting seasons. Thank you so much for stopping by!
I can “amen” each of your points here. Waiting isn’t easy, especially when our desire is such a good one. But the more we know and trust our good heavenly Father, the more we can submit to His control. I love how you point out this is not a one-time thing, but it’s a “discipline forged over a lifetime.”
Barbara, yes, the more we know and trust our good Father, the more we are able to yield to His control. Thanks for your encouragement, friend!
Beautiful words. You are such a gifted writer. Yes, it’s so hard to give up control and trust the lord, especially when it comes to things like “healing”. I love your line “What we control is how we respond to the father.” That is about the only thing we can control.
Amy, thanks for your encouragement. Yes, our responses to God and our choices about whether we’ll trust Him in the seasons of our lives are all we really control. I appreciate your constant presence in this place. 🙂
Waiting does seem to push all my buttons related to control. Like you, I’m learning to trust God’s goodness and his sovereignty as the antidote to the toxic white-knuckle grip.
Michele, it seems like we have much in common. God has a way of using waiting seasons to teach us how to trust Him more completely. I learned many years ago that In God’s sovereignty, we find His love. And this definitely releases the toxic white-knuckled grip I’ve sometimes tried to hold on my life. Thanks for sharing your wisdom, friend.
The way that I best wait on God
while shadowed by the cancer-shark
may sound just a little odd;
I listen to Petula Clark,
whom I believe He did inspire
to sing away the deepest frown
on days when I flag and tire
by bidding me to go Downtown.
When I take it all too seriously
and pout that life’s not gone my way,
I am reminded musically,
please, Don’t Sleep In The Subway,
and cancer’s not toll for my crimes;
it just is, a Sign Of The Times.
Andrew, I’m not surprised to see your love of and knowledge of music here. Music can soothe away pain of all kinds. It can readjust our perspective when we need that. And it can be water to thirsty souls. I’m continuing to pray for you, my friend.