The Story God is Writing in Our Waiting

Welcome to The Overflow!  I’m glad you’re here.  This is a place where faith is spilled and souls are filled. I hope you’ll linger a while and be encouraged. You can also meet me on Facebook  or read my devotion at  Proverbs 31 Ministries today.

I walked through the doors of the retreat center feeling peaceful and prepared. I’d been asked to teach a workshop at a ministry conference, and I’d spent hours honing the message I’d soon share. 

I was armed with notes and handouts, tales from the trenches and truths from God’s word, but nothing could have prepared me for the unspoken ache that hovered over the room as the women in my workshop settled into their seats. 

At first glance, we had little in common. We were women of all ages and stages, with diverse bios and backgrounds. But an invisible thread bound us together: we all knew the pain of delay.

Some of us were waiting for healing and others for breakthrough; some for guidance and others for restoration.  We were women longing for an answer to prayer, yearning for the fulfillment of a promise, wishing for an end to our wait. 

Our stories were different, but our challenge was the same: Would we become bitter or better in the waiting?

I swallowed the lump of emotion that was rising in my throat and asked the Holy Spirit to tend to the hurting hearts in my midst. Then I took a deep breath and began with this honest admission.

“Waiting hurts.” 

The room grew silent. I scanned the rows of women through a lens of hazy tears. Heads nodded. Lips quivered. Tears spilled.

I tried to ignore the drizzles of sadness burning behind my own eyes, and I continued. “But today, we’re not going to talk about our discomfort in the waiting. We’re going to talk about our decision in the waiting.” 

I paused, then stated the truth I’ve been learning in the trenches of my own waiting season: “God has a plan for our waiting, but Satan does, too.”

The room grew quiet, and I held the gaze of each woman who dared to lift her head. “God wants to use the waiting to develop our faith,” I continued. “But Satan wants to use our waiting to devour our faith.”

The women before me sat up straighter in chairs and stared at me with wide-eyed attentiveness. “And, sisters,” I announced with a brave smile. “We get to choose whose plan prevails.”

I wish we were gathered together at a lakeside retreat today, friends.  I wish I could look you in the eye and acknowledge your pain, share your tears and cover you with prayers. 

But no matter where you are or what you’re facing, I want to encourage you with the same words I spoke to that room full of precious women as 2020 began.

Waiting may be frustrating, but it need not be devastating,

Satan may seek to sap us through the waiting; but God promises to strengthen us if we’ll let Him. 

Isaiah 40:31 declares: “…but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.”

This well known verse doesn’t just suggest the possibility of growing strong in our delays; it also reveals the process for growing strong in our delays.

In its original language, the word for strength is quvah, which means “to bind together.” The word paints a picture of a cord that’s tightly woven together.

And that poignant picture, dear friends, is God’s plan for our waiting.

Satan wants to wreck us in the waiting; but God seeks to woo us. Satan wants our delays to be marked by doubt and worry, but God longs for our waiting to tell a different story.

If we choose to turn to God in our waiting—paying attention  to His presence and placing our trust in His word—our faith swells instead of sags. Our strength surges instead of shrinks. And God transforms our seasons of uncertainty into seasons of intimacy.

Our story changes when we bind our hope to God’s heart.

That’s what David did in the midst of his own discouraging delay. Though he was a teenager when he was anointed as king, David didn’t begin his royal rule until he was thirty years old. He spent a decade on the run before he was seated definitively on the throne. 

However, David made a decision in the midst of his delay. Though his confusing situation didn’t seem to match God’s sovereign declaration, David chose to bind his hope to God’s heart. 

David’s delay lasted fifteen years, but his decision to seek God in his waiting developed a steadfast faith that lasted for a lifetime. In the end, the mighty king who finally took the throne was a man who loved the God he’d found in the waiting more than the crown he’d been anticipating.

When his years of delay turned into a promise fulfilled, David penned these words to buoy the hearts of every wait-er still to come:

 “Here’s what I’ve learned through it all: Don’t give up; don’t be impatient; be entwined as one with the Lord. Be brave and courageous, and never lose hope. Yes, keep on waiting—for he will never disappoint you! “ (Psalm 27:14, TPT)

Our waiting may be painful, but it is not permanent. 

So don’t give up, waiting one! Press on in patience and press in with hope. Bind your faith to God’s faithfulness and anchor your trust to His truth.

Because someday our waiting will turn into celebrating. And when it does, we’ll praise God’s wondrous ways, and applaud His unmatched wisdom.

And with humble awe we’ll declare, “Lord, we love your works, but we love you even more!”

“For since the world began, no ear has heard and no eye has seen a God like you, who works for those who wait for him! ” (Isaiah 64:4, NLT)

Thanks for taking time to meet us here today, friends. I’m not sure what the new year holds, but I’d love to stay connected and continue to encourage you with the truth of God’s word.  If you’re an event planner, I’m accepting speaking requests for 2021 and 2022 and I’d be honored to partner with you in ministry. Check out my speaking page for details or contact me for more information at overflow@aliciabruxvoort.net

Before you go, we’d love to encourage you in your waiting. We know how easy it is to grow weary in the depths of delay. Leave us a comment and we’ll pray for you today.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alicia

42 Comments

  1. I need prayer. I am getting ready to have my 2nd bone marrow transplant. I’m having a hard time dealing with this again and feel so alone. Thank you

  2. Raymond seetan says:

    this the first time i came across ypur messages and blog i am really blessed i am from Trinidad and Tobago in the WEST IDIES,i wold like to be in contact with you and later on as GOD the allows you can come to my country as the precious Holy Spirit leads thank you powerful woman of God stay blessed shalom.

  3. Kris Gonzalez says:

    I found your page today while looking for words of encouragement to help my anxious heart . I have parents 87 and 92 with COVID .
    My mom just went to the hospital yesterday have difficulty breathing and my dad is alone in retirement home . It’s very hard for me to be not be with them . Would you please pray for me and my parents … God has gotten me through so many difficult times in my life and I don’t understand why I can’t stop feeling anxious and afraid. I know he is in control
    Kris Gonzalez

  4. Thank you Lord for your word even though I was raised in a christian home, I’ve had my hurts and disappointments I love my Lord. History repeats itself I have a granddaughter that’s going through the same thing right now I’ve been praying for God to do his will, there’s children involved and it hurts me to see the confusion on their faces please pray for this to pass soon and that it’s His will and not ours. Thank you Lord for your faithfulness!?

  5. December brought the possibility of an end to over a decade of pain. I have a rare chronic stomach disorder that limits me to sole nutrition medical-formula liquids. I’ve sat & watched countless celebrations with food that I can not partake in, continued to cook & feed my loved ones. It’s so painful. Physically and emotionally. I finally found a compassionate Specialist for my condition, and spoke with the surgical team to attempt to get me on the path of semi-normalcy again. Due to COVID I now am waiting for an undetermined time for surgery. I too want more than anything for my hope to be bound to His heart💜

  6. Thank you so much for such encouragement on waiting. Real depth and freshness in what you shared.

  7. I’m restarting my journey with God to become the best me. I just ended a 21 year relationship with my 3 daughter’s father yesterday. I now have the responsibility of doing everything on my own. The relationship was toxic and had several break-ups over the years. I know how to step up to the plate to take care of my girls but it seems more difficult the older I get. I ask for Prayers for strength and trusting God that everything will settle where it should. Thank you.

  8. I’m praying and waiting for two of my sons and families to come back into our family. I find it so confusing and am trying not to grow weary. Waiting hurts – thank you for this message.

  9. 2 years ago I went through a miscarriage that devastated me and my husband I truly believed we were meant to have that 3rd child I still feel God is saying wait the longer I wait the harder it becomes and the easier it is to give in to despair I have two amazing kids already and I am thankful part of me though still longs for that child I lost so I wait until God says otherwise I wait and it is hard to keep on hoping it is hard to keep on believing we are meant to have more.in the end all I can do is wait and Trust God and His timing.

  10. I have been praying for my son that God will place a Christian woman in his life. He is divorced and ever since that event he has not had a serios relationship. His not a believer, that’s why it’s important to me that the Lord will deliver.
    Thank you for your minister and the daily readings ,God bless you!

  11. Cheryl Wright says:

    Thankyou Alicia for this timely word. I know God wanted me to read it this morning. I left my husband of 39 years 5 months ago. I didn’t want a divorce, I wanted help and healing. My husband had gotten very controlling and it was a very unhealthy environment. Last month my husband agreed to marriage counseling but after only one session has now said he is unwilling to continue counseling and he is unwilling to fight to save this marriage. I am devastated. The last couple weeks I have been plaqued with anxiety about my future and how I will make it on my own. I know God has been with me and he is providing, i just couldn’t shake this anxiousness. I know Satan wants to destroy our marriage and my faith. I am choosing to say no to him and yes to God. He is faithful and able to meet all if my needs. I thank you for being the vessel he used today.

  12. I need prayer for trusting God. I have an undiagnosed neurological disorder. It has taken away my ability to talk clearly, to walk and I hAve trouble with my fine motor skills! I am in a wheelchair all the time! I know that I am having trouble sleeping at night as well! I wake up hurting and I can’t get comfortable. I know I need to trust the Lord through all of this but I am having trouble with. that. Thanks so much for your wise words. I know that they have gOt me thinking!

    1. Alicia Bruxvoort says:

      Jesus, you alone know the depths of Jackie’s despair. Make your presence known to her in a special way today. Encourage her with your love, your truth, and the gift of hope. Be her healer, Jesus. Speak the word and restore her. Allow her to speak again to give praise to you and let her testimony of your faithfulness bring you great glory.

  13. Mandi MacDonald says:

    I’m not sure why I’ve never thought about the fact that Satan also has a plan for our waiting. Thank you for making plain, this truth today. Your little one spoke wise words. “Waiting hurts” really does sum it up well. Be blessed in the new year! ❤

    1. Alicia Bruxvoort says:

      Thank you, Mandi! 2021 blessings to you as well:)

  14. My family is broken…my marriage, my kids-all if it. I’ve been praying for restoration & reconciliation for years. I need prayers for hearts to soften & for lives to be transformed by the Holy Spirit. In the waiting it’s a constant battle to not grow weary & bitter. Please pray I surrender the pain daily and can shine His light brightly.

    1. Alicia Bruxvoort says:

      Jesus, we echo Tracy’s prayer today for a softening of hearts in her family, for daily strength, for perseverance in this discouraging delay. You are the restorer of broken things and the author of miracles. We turn Isaiah 61:3 into our cry today—please give Tracy “a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In [her] righteousness, [may she] be like great oaks that the Lord has planted for his own glory.”

  15. I would love for to have prayers for my cousins husband who is in ICU with Covid. He’s been in the hospital since December 6. Prayers needed. Have a blessed day and a much better New Year. Stay healthy 🙏🏻

    1. I am praying for your cousins husband and for God’s peace for all of the family including him. Is he saved?

    2. Alicia Bruxvoort says:

      Jesus, please strengthen Ilene’s cousin and heal his body. Give those who love Him strength and hope in their waiting. Amen

  16. Thank you, Alicia. You’ve made very excellent points worth memorizing and regularly reciting to oneself. 🙂
    I’ve been in a season of waiting for more than a decade now. It’s hard at times not to grow weary or give up hope, but I’m trying to persevere and believe for a miracle to come.

    1. Alicia Bruxvoort says:

      Jesus, encourage our sister Marisha with your presence and your peace in this time of waiting. Thank you for the ways you are working in the unseen right now. Buoy Marisha’s heart with your hope. Increase her faith by your Word and heighten her awareness of your presence in her delay. Overwhelm her with your love today! Amen

  17. I’m struggling in the waiting. My 25 year old daughter decided about a year ago that she is a lesbian. She now lives with another girl and is talking about marriage. My heart is just broken as all our children have grown up in church and are believers. She was so active in Bible study groups and I just don’t understand how she can think God is ok with this. Please pray for our family. They has caused her siblings so much frustration and hurt. Thanks.

    1. Alicia Bruxvoort says:

      Jesus, you alone know the depths of pain Chrissy and her family are walking through. Continue to reveal your great love for each one of Chrissy’s kids and do a work of restoration and healing that only you can do. Encourage Chrissy through your Holy Spirit and with personal displays of your tender love as she trusts you in the messy middle. We are asking for a miracle. Amen

  18. Your words spoke directly to my heart. Thank you for this. I will soon be 32, and as the years pass desire for a husband and children grow. My heart aches, and I’ve noticed the bitterness setting in as I celebrate others year after year getting married and having children. Thank you for the reminder of God’s truth in my season of waiting. His timing is truly perfect. Pray for increased faith in the waiting, the softening of my heart And to not grow weary in this season.

    1. Alicia Bruxvoort says:

      Jesus, we know your plans for Courtney are better than what we could ask for or imagine. Please increase her faith in your faithfulness and your goodness. Keep her heart soft and surrendered to you. Woo her with your lavish love in this season of delay. And give her a fresh surge of hope in her waiting. Amen

  19. Thank you for your message today. I am in a deep valley of waiting. For many years I have prayed for my husband’s salvation, now an unknown illness is also trying to steal his body. He refuses to see a doctor although each day he gets weaker and more signs of his declining health appear. He keeps promising that when this happens or that happens, he will go. Now it is the new calendar year for insurance, he promises to go in January. I am praying that the Lord heals his soul, spirit, body and mind but the devil is working to break him down even more and destroy my faith and take away my hope. Prayers for healing, restoration, faith but most of all salvation are appreciated.

    1. Alicia Bruxvoort says:

      Jesus, we know you love Patricia’s husband with a reckless and relentless love. Awaken him to your personal and passionate pursuit of his heart. Protect him from the devil’s schemes. Heal and restore him- physically, mentally, and spiritually. And, sweet Savior, buoy Patricia with your Spirit, your presence, and your word. Grow her hope and hold her in perfect peace as she trusts you in the new year. Amen

  20. This piece was very encouraging! I have been waiting on God for another job with good pay to be closer to my elderly mother and family! Please pay for me!

    1. Fran,
      Prayers are being said❤️

    2. Alicia Bruxvoort says:

      Jesus, open doors and orchestrate opportunities for Fran to move near to her family in 2021. We make Psalm 32:8 our prayer for Fran today: “The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.” Amen

  21. Brenda A. says:

    I was reading your “When You Don’t Understand God’s Timing” in my email today and then I visited the site and read this. Long story shortened, my waiting involved the sale of a long time family business. Five years and three contracts later, we closed on that a couple of weeks ago. Through it all and the decisions that affected so many in my family, all I could do was trust the Lord. The many times of hitting a roadblock tried to do away with my trust but I resolved to keep trusting. It was ALL in the Lord’s timing and in his hands. I could testify to you so many things that have happened in the last two months to prove that (as if I needed any proof…geez…I’m human) but I have yet again been reassured as I have so many times in my last 65 years that HE IS FAITHFUL. I love him so. Your blog and writing speak to my heart. Thank you….and prayers for all the comments here. So many people have so many needs. Life is hard but HE is faithful!

    1. Alicia Bruxvoort says:

      Jesus, we praise you for Brenda’s testimony of your faithfulness in the waiting! Thank you for bringing Brenda here to encourage us with her story for your glory. Amen

  22. Thank You for writing this piece, it’s very encouraging for me today. I’ve been waiting for 10 years for God to change my husband’s heart about having children. (The day after he said he would do whatever God wanted him to, I received a Dr’s report that said it would be very difficult for me to conceive – but God is not bound to this natural world) As time goes on and we both get older, it’s easy to get frustrated and discouraged. But your writing and The Word have strengthened me today, Thank You 🙂

    1. Alicia Bruxvoort says:

      Jesus, you know the desire of Carolyn’s heart to be a mother. And you are the God of miracles! So, we are asking for the gift of children for Carolyn and her husband. Grow their family as only you can and give Carolyn strength and increased faith in the waiting. Amen

  23. On Dec 16 I went for a scheduled, annual exam. I received a call to return Dec 22nd for more imaging. Just over an hour later my Dr office called to say I need a biopsy, booked now for Jan 4th. Apparently the spot in question is like a dot of a pen, but of course it brings concern. (Almost 10 years ago I walked a journey with stage 3 ovarian cancer.) I’m trying to keep my eyes fixed on Jesus and my thoughts focused on truth of who He is, but sometimes worry wins. Thank you for the reminders here of our good and faithful God. Yes, Satan wants to derail my waiting but God is calling me to draw near. Nestling in under His wings,
    Joy

    1. Joy,
      I’ll be praying for you ❤️

    2. Joy,
      Thank you God for Joy & being with her thru this “waiting” . May she feel your presence to comfort & ease her mind with hope & confidence. Thank you Jesus for your healing physically, mentally & spiritually of Joy in this moment in your name! Amen
      I am waiting myself after needing ultrasound & was terrified until reading Alicia’s Proverbs Ministry post & then opened her sight. Please pray I keep the faith & am triumphant thru God in my waiting. Kristi

    3. Alicia Bruxvoort says:

      Jesus, we turn Isaiah 26:3 into our prayer for Joy today. Please keep Joy in perfect peace as she trusts in you and fixes her thoughts on you. Heal her body as she waits and turn her prayers into praise. Amen

  24. I am a formerly unfaithful spouse now facing an unwanted divorce to start 2021. The healing of my marriage and family seems impossible, but that is my prayer: that Satan will not get the victory and God will change my family from destroyed to healed- yet the timing and the waiting will include divorce. Hope and faith are my lifelines- and the waiting is indeed painful when covered in grief and regrets.

    1. Praying for you. Though their road hasn’t been easy, I’ve seen God restore the marriage of someone close to me after two years of separation and divorce. “… with God all things are possible.” But hear her words above:

      “And with humble awe we’ll declare, “Lord, we love your works, but we love you even more!”

      Don’t let the thing you are praying for, even if it’s God’s will, become more important to you than Him.❤️

      Please pray for me too… I’m 32+ years into my waiting for something, and the LORD has taught me much. Alicia’s words are definitely from Him. Psalm 37:3a is a favorite of mine for how to live:
      “Trust in the LORD and do good.”
      Be joyfully about His business while you are waiting. And if you love hearing the LORD through music, “While I’m Waiting,” sung by John Waller says it beautiful too.✝️❤️🎶

    2. Alicia Bruxvoort says:

      Jesus, you know the depths of Shelley’s pain and grief and the depth of her family’s pain. Be her strength and comfort as she faces the days ahead. Let her family’s story be one of radical restoration and inexplainable miracles. Bring victory where Satan has planned defeat and bring beauty from these ashes. Amen

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