Editor’s Note: During the month of May, we will focus on learning to have peace in every aspect of our lives. Lean in and ask the Holy Spirit to cultivate this fruit in you. Let’s “seek peace and pursue it” (Psalm 34:14) together!
No one likes to wait. I feel like this is a universal truth. Sure, some people might be more patient than others(ahem…my hubs, not me 🙂), but no one wants to wait—in line, on hold, for an answer, for a decision, even for a gift.
And I don’t think this is limited to our present time. Sure, we’ve got the “microwave generation,” “the e-generation,”the “Google generation”—and in short, we’re all used to getting what we want in a relatively short time.
But have you read Sarah’s story? She straight up offered her servant Hagar to her husband when God’s plan hadn’t moved fast enough. That’s not patience. Or peace.
Did you know it’s possible to have peace even as you wait?
We waited nine years for our baby girl, who was born last November, and I won’t for one second pretend that I did it all patiently. (That’s why I love Sarah’s story; she didn’t do it all perfectly either.) But what I learned is when I focused on Him, and not on what I wanted right this second, I was not anxious. I could even be content.
The verse I clung to reminds me of this, and I still have a personalized copy on my desk: “You will keep [Laura] in perfect peace when her mind is stayed on You because she trusts in You” (Isaiah 26:3).
During our season of waiting, what I found is captured so well in the song “Take Courage” by Kristene Di Marco. Have you heard it? When I’d want to forget, when I’d doubt, when it felt too long, too impossible:
He’s in the waiting.
The song says, “Take Courage”—the very words Jesus spoke to His disciples in Matthew 14 when the storm came, and they feared for their lives.
A little while earlier, Jesus had sent them ahead of himself. And maybe now they feel abandoned. John 6 says, “It was near dark, and Jesus had not yet come.”
Ever feel that way?
But then, there He is. Walking on the water.
Take courage, He says.
Because He knew. He always knows the outcome.
In this moment, the disciples have the opportunity to witness a miracle, a glimpse of His power.
In this moment, Peter has the chance to go deeper in His faith.
All the events culminate to the here, the now.
Yes, there’s a storm. Yes, Jesus had not yet come, and yes, they feel abandoned.
But it’s like He says, Take courage. Here I am. And I’m giving you something rare and powerful: an experience, an encounter you won’t forget.
Though we face unknowns, though our hearts are full of anticipation, I sense it even now:
He’s here. He knows. He’s got a spectacular story for us.
For you.
“Take courage, my heart. Stay steadfast, my soul. He’s in the waiting.”
Peace is a person. Jesus. And He will meet you wherever you find yourself waiting.
I don’t know what your heart longs for, my friend. I don’t know how long you’ve been waiting. But I do know this, our God is a good Father, our Jesus is never delayed, and our Holy Spirit is present, full of power and comfort and grace.
We would like to thank Laura Brandenburg for writing this post!
Women's Ministry 