GOD'S WAITING LISTنموونە

THE WAITING GAME: I COULDN’T BELIEVE I WAS WAITING

“The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him. It is good that one should hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord”. (Lamentations 3:25-26, NKJV)

Waiting sometimes feels cruel. It feels like the deprivation of a desire by someone who has it in abundance but chooses to hold back. We all face waiting for God’s promises in our unique ways. It can hurt deeply; it is tempting not to want to wait any longer and even stop believing.

My husband and I waited twelve years before having our first child. The challenges we met on the long and arduous journey taught us many lessons. I wanted to quit many times because believing God’s promises felt too stressful.

I remember that I initially struggled to believe I was on that special list. I call it ‘special’ because I have come to realize many things that God was molding in me ahead of the child He had promised us. There was a time when I despised sermons of hope from the lives of Abraham, Isaac, Sarah, or Hannah. The truth about our lives is that our stories have already been written, and some destiny-shaping experiences have been factored into our story by God. Nobody chooses to wait for years to receive what their contemporaries have long forgotten about. Nobody desires to start having children many years after they start trying.

However, waiting sometimes is God’s strategy to get maximum glory from our story. It reminds me of Jesus’ words in John 9:3: “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” … “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.’ (NIV)

I think through the years, the worst part of waiting was not knowing when it would all end. Even more frightening was the fear that the wait might never end or that I might no longer enjoy the blessing when it arrives. These and many more tortured me. Yes, I knew God promised in His Word that there would be none barren. However, I knew people who took their last breaths without bearing their own children. I held desperately to God’s Word, and sometimes I argued with Him. Thank God that He did not answer some of my foolish prayers in desperation. Thank God for rescuing me from the enemy’s destruction when I eventually had our son.

The truth I knew and now know even more assertively is that God’s Word is true and He stands by His promises. Though it may take years, He honours His Word. Hence, we should wait for it.

Join me in praying this- ‘Lord Jesus, I know you always win every battle of life. I belong to You, so I know that in Your set time, I will win this battle with infertility and every other thing my spouse and I are seeking Your face for. We trust you, Lord. Amen’