A Prayer to Remember the Rewards of Waiting - Your Daily Prayer - April 23

A Prayer to Remember the Rewards of Waiting
By Lia Girard

Bible Reading:
We can make our own plans, but the LORD gives the right answer. - Proverbs 16:1 (NLT)

Listen or Read Below:

Have you ever had a season that you thought would break you? Or are you currently in that season? Maybe you’re going through something that feels unfamiliar… as though the world has pressed the pause button on your plans or completely derailed your hopes?

As believers, we know that life is a roller coaster of joys and pains, ups and downs, wins and losses. God didn't promise zero struggle. But he did promise that if you give your struggles to him, he will, in the end, make all things new. His final answer will always be the right one.

The Bible demonstrates that imperfect people are loved and saved by a power beyond comprehension. And even now, in your life, God is still the supplier of a peace that surpasses understanding. Even in the longest waiting or the hardest storms. 

If right now you’re waiting, praying, hoping, or crying out for an outcome you feel would fix everything, allow me to gently remind you: when God answers, it will always be what’s best for you. There is no greater love, and he sees every moment of your anguish. However, just like when seeds buried in darkness eventually grow toward God's light, waiting is the rich soil where transformation occurs. 

It's often in long stretches of wondering and waiting that we learn the freedom of patience. We develop the strength of endurance. And we deepen our reliance on God. These are just a few of the rewards of waiting.  In fact, if you've already been through to the other side of an empty place where you thought all your prayers were unanswered, I’m betting you can look back now and see the fruits of that season.

I remember sitting in a soft chair alone, staring out at a beautiful cherry tree that blossomed each spring. It soothed me during a three-year stretch when my life was wrecked by lost love, and what appeared at the time to be a desperate lack of resources. 

My Christian counselor, through this painful period, asked where I found any moments of peace. And I explained how gazing at this tree was a special one for me. Hearing this, she reassured me that God desires what is best for me. Also, that what I had broken out of was not his desire for me. Then she said something I’ve never forgotten. She said, “I promise you, in God's perfect timing, you won’t be sitting there looking out the window at that tree. You will be the tree.” 

She tucked that beautiful image into my heart as I waited, and prayed, and cried... and waited, and prayed some more. It took time and hard work, but I did, in fact, give it all to God. All of it. And the rewards of hope and patience have never left me. The life I have found now is filled with joy and honesty. And it’s a gift far greater than I could have ever imagined. 

When I close my eyes and recall those waiting years, I can confidently say they were the best years of my life. Even with the pain. Because waiting rewarded me with the conviction that all the trappings of a successful life are not always what God desires for me. What God desires for you and me is Himself. His path. His presence. His good, patient, and perfect loving plan. 

Yes, I do believe he wants you to participate. Which also means staying in prayer, and asking him to guide and speak to you in ways you will recognize and understand. 

Waiting for life to make sense, and for a heart full of hurts to heal, ended up planting a garden of strength in my soul. Because I now know... that when nothing makes sense, God sees the outcome. And his words to the Israelites in Isaiah 41:10, who were suffering captivity then, still apply to you, too:

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” 

He has you in his loving embrace. And even though you may be waiting, his plan for you is always good.

Let’s Pray:

Dear God, I don’t like waiting. I want to be on a mission, making things right, achieving success. But right now, I feel stuck in a time of hard unknowns. Show me that you are here with me. Fill me with your presence. Help me to let go of wanting and to be patient and prayerful in the waiting.

I know you see me, and I know you love me more than I can even imagine. Will you give me the peace to truly believe that when your answer does come, it will be what’s right and best for me? Thank you for your daily gifts that sustain me in the waiting. And thank you that I have you, above all.

In your mighty name, Amen.

Share your reflections on today’s devotional in the Your Daily Prayer discussion on the Crosswalk Forum.

Photo Credit: Pexels/JÉSHOOTS 

Lia Girard is a seasoned writer and voice artist who formerly served as the Faith Editor for Crosswalk.com. She is the author of Wisdom at Wit’s End: Abandoning Supermom Myths in Search of Supernatural Peace, and enjoys spending time with her husband and grown children or walking in the woods with God.

Related Resource: A Prayer for When You Feel Spiritually Tired

There is a particular kind of exhaustion that has nothing to do with how much sleep you got last night. It's the weariness that settles into your soul when you've been going hard for a long time — when prayer feels hollow, worship feels distant, and you find yourself sitting in church thinking about everything except what's being said. If that's where you are tonight, this episode was written for you. If you like what you hear, follow Your Nightly Prayer on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode!