Pump It Up! Live Elated, Not Deflated Through Disappointing Daysනියැදිය

Waiting on the waves

I think many of us struggle so much with waiting, as we know God holds the power to change things in a split second. In my dinghy days, I felt like I needed to balance my faith in God with my trust in Him. My faith has grown as I’ve seen God do something pretty miraculous in a situation our family faced. He really did ‘make a way where there was no way.’ So, I know God can and does come through and turn things around in incredible ways. So why didn’t he do something spectacular (and do it quickly!) during my dinghy days? Our faith in an all-powerful, miracle working God needs to be balanced with trust in his timing.

One of the ways I (try to) cope with waiting times is by reflecting on what God has done in my life previously, and the perfection of his timing that I see as I look back on those situations. I have seen God work in an incredible way in bringing our little girl into our family by adoption - but it did involve a long wait. From start to finish, it was probably around a five-year wait, but she is way beyond worth the wait. God’s best is truly worth the wait.

One difficulty we come up against is that God gives us a dream, and more often than not, there’s quite a gap between the dream being given and it being fulfilled. My dream was specifically to grow our family by adopting a child with Down Syndrome. When I began to feel broody, surprisingly, God stirred my heart to adopt rather than to have biological children. Within those five long years as we waited for our daughter, I had moments of real faith, excitement, and expectancy, coupled with really tough meltdown moments involving more tears and snot than I’d like to admit to! For me, the biggest issue was that I felt ready. Ready, steady, let’s go, God! I was sure God had spoken, so let’s crack on with it pronto. I was completely emotionally invested. I had read books, researched, and volunteered to get experience working with children with Down Syndrome. But the time isn’t right until it’s God’s green light! We need to trust that he is completely in control and knows the best timing for all involved.

Be encouraged today that God ‘acts on behalf of those who wait for Him.’

Reflection

What stories of God’s perfect timing in your life can you reflect on today, to help you to wait well in your current situation?