Ode to a Waiting Wife

On Sunday morning dressed in her best,
she’d head to church with all the rest.

And leaving her husband quite alone,
happy to go to the golf course to roam.

Hoping for God to woo his heart,
and give this man a fresh new start.

Forty years she’d been praying, watching and waiting,
Wondering why God was always delaying.

Silent and quiet she never ceased praying,
did God hear what she was saying?

She prayed with thanksgiving and His will be done,
and submitted herself to God’s dearest Son.

And the Spirit of peace, joy and contentment,
strengthened her heart, free from bitter resentment.

So she continues to trust in her redeeming Lord,
and serve her husband in one accord.

Knowing that his salvation is in God’s timing,
and in this she waits with hope and resigning.

The nature of the Christian life is a journey of waiting and receiving from the Father. We wait for the birth of a baby, the salvation of a loved one, the healing of a sickness, the work we so desperately need, the restoration of a relationship, a new house, the return of a wayward child – the list is endless. And then in due time, we receive according to His will and purposes. However, often it is not the answer that is of greatest importance, but the change that takes place in our heart along the way.

The Bible is both specific and prolific with the benefits that we gather if we submit to the waiting process. These are the gems we collect invigorating our spiritual life and reminding us that God is close by in our waiting.

Psalm 25:3 Yea, let none that wait on thee be ashamed: let them be ashamed which transgress without cause.

Only those who do not wait on the Lord, but go their own way, will be put to shame or embarrassment. Those who choose to wait for the Lord will be unashamed because they have rightly trusted in Him.

Psalm 25:21 Let integrity and uprightness preserve me; for I wait on thee.

Personal integrity and walking before God with honesty and righteousness are the results of those who wait for the Lord. These qualities will keep them secure as they look to Him.

Isaiah 30:18 Blessed are they that wait for him.

God, our gracious Father, desires to bless those who wait for Him. For the one who waits, there is the reward of God’s mercy, goodness and kindness.

Isaiah 40:31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk and not faint.

The physical benefits of waiting on the Lord are on display. Strength, stamina, resilience and determination are the gems we gather as we wait quietly in our weakness upon the Lord. In this way, His mighty power infuses us to endure in waiting.

In all this we greatly rejoice and give thanks, for God showers us with His good gifts, enabling us to wait well and in a way that is glorifying to Him.

James 5:7 Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.

However, our waiting for the happenings that touch our lives is overshadowed by the waiting of our Lord’s return. God has an ultimate plan, that goes far beyond the concerns we wait for in this life. In light of Christ’s imminent return, we heed the encouragement of James.

James 5:8 You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.

For those of us who are waiting (who isn’t?), let us be confident of this very thing: that God hears our prayers, delights in our prayers, and will in His way, in His time, answer them. Let us approach Him with a humble, honest and grateful heart and trust that His will, not ours, is best. And His blessed Holy Spirit will settle our hearts with peace, joy and contentment as we wait.

God graciously equips those who wait for Him with every good gift we need to bring Him, pleasure in our waiting time. So, like the husbandman who waits for the coming rain and the harvest that follows, let’s be found patiently waiting for God to answer our prayers, and with a steadfast, unmovable spirit, waiting for Christ glorious return.