Being Still as You Waitنموونە

The Testing Begins

At only 24 weeks pregnant, my daughter-in-law underwent an emergency C‑section. We quietly prayed in the waiting room. Her family, our pastors, and our family all gathered in the waiting room to pray heaven down and strengthen each other as we awaited any update.

In an instant, we noticed a few nurses rushing an incubator by us. They stopped abruptly and asked us to take a look, then one said, “Do you want to take a look at your grandson? You might want to say goodbye.”... Say goodbye!!! What? But we had not yet met him, didn’t know his name yet, had not held him—there were so many things we had not yet done with our grandson—yet here we were, asked to say goodbye in a tone that shook me to my core. My whole body was shaking. They were asking us, emphatically, to say our first hello and last goodbye all at once. My heart could not hurt any more at that moment; it was being ripped right out of my chest. I looked around at the other family members in the room, and all I saw was defeat; they all felt as I was feeling at that moment.

We all crowded around the incubator, peeking a glimpse inside, and there lay a transparent little 11‑inch beautiful baby boy who was born 16 weeks before his time. He was the smallest baby I had ever seen. He looked so very fragile. Then, in a moment, the nurses took off again. I can still see the nurses running the incubator to the neonatal intensive care unit; all we could do was stand frozen in time right there in the hallway of this hospital—in the natural, wondering if we would ever see him again—while immediately trying to change that thought and stay positive and find hope. In the midst of the tears, we saw our son race to be at the baby’s side. He and his wife were the only two who could be with him. After a little bit, my daughter-in-law was also raced to the NICU to be by the baby’s side.

We now all had a choice to make: we could sit around wallowing, feeling hopeless, defeated, and give up—and expect the worst to happen—or we could thank God that He allowed us to see our grandson even for a minute and that they were both still alive—very critical but alive—and thank Him for the miracle we were expecting. Unexpectedly to us, the 103‑day ordeal was just beginning—a time that would bring us all closer to God than we could have ever imagined. We had to depend on God more than we ever had. He had to work miracles in our grandson’s life, in my son’s life, and huge miracles in my daughter‑in‑law’s life (God had to show up bigger for her), and all we could now do was wait and, as I said before, “be still.” Now the waiting began, and all we could do in the waiting that would make a difference was continue to thank God as He worked and keep seeking God’s presence. Time was our friend: time for God to continue to work out this situation, time for the baby to grow, and time for mom to recover.

Here’s what we did in our 103 days of waiting!!!!

We prayed, believed, stood fast, sang lots of praise and worship, spoke words of healing and words of strength and blessings, and we knocked and asked for doors to be opened...

As we sought God, we grew stronger together as a unit (both families) in a faith and hope that didn’t make sense to anyone else. We were convinced that if we were still waiting on God, then He wasn’t done with my grandson and the situation yet—“He was still at work”—and that at just the right moment we would see our miracle.

Since there was not much that we could do in our own strength, we had to let God work and do what He does in His supernatural strength. As we prayed, we found strength to keep standing; as we sang praises, we were taken to a place that God used to empower, encourage, and remind us of His promises day after day. When you don’t have the answers, when you don’t know where to turn, what to do, or can’t see how the things you are waiting for will happen, you need to go into His presence and let Him lead, guide, and show you what to do.

WE HAVE TO LET GOD WORK. Let God be God...

Psalm 27:14:
“Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; yes, wait for the Lord.”

Psalm 130:5:
“I wait for the Lord, my soul waits for Him, and in His Word I have hope.”

Jeremiah 29:11:
“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”

Matthew 7:7 (Effective Prayer):
“Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.”

Trust in God and remind yourself that He alone is the way maker, and He is at work.

Prayer

Thank you, Father God, that you meet us here in our waiting. Even though the situation is facing us straight on, we know You, God, are not done yet. Thank you that you have a plan and that you never change; You are the same yesterday, today, and forever, and you still do miracles today. We know you are here in the midst of us, that you hear us, and above all, that you are still working.