the art of waiting

patience, waiting, and stillness are all wonderful virtues to have, and yet some of the most inconvenient lessons to learn.

specifically: waiting with intention and not mere idleness.

this is something that i feel like the Lord has been really trying to ingrain in me lately, telling me to wait. to be still, rest, and know that He has something wonderful coming.

but maybe you find yourself not sure how to be intentional in the waiting. maybe you don’t know what you’re waiting for, so you feel stuck on how to prepare.

within any season of waiting, i think two ways to wait with intention is with:

1. obedience by preparing your heart daily as a dwelling place for the Holy Spirit.

2. and with obedience by seeking out His Heart as your home.

i think both actions can happen at the same time, but I do not think you can become a proper dwelling place without also first dwelling in His embrace. it sounds simple, but the difference matters.

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with allyour heart.”

‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭29‬:‭11‬-‭13‬ ‭‬‬

the Lord has plans for good for us! for our good and His glory! (v11). we do not have to fully know those plans or understand them yet to be obedient. the act of obedience that we are called to here is also simple: seek Him with all your heart.

the Lord promises that when we seek Him we will find Him! we will find His embrace, and then we can dwell in it. Proverbs 2 says that when we seek the Lord and incline our heart to hear His voice then:

“you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.”

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭2‬:‭5‬

and this is all the more important because as we learn to abide with our Father, He desires this of us:

“For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.”

‭‭Hosea‬ ‭6‬:‭6‬ ‭

how BEAUTIFUL is it that the Author of our lives simply desires for us to know Him? the Lord — who is all powerful, almighty, and full of wisdom and love — loves you personally, so much, that He wants to radically change your life for goodness simply by knowing of Him. by knowing of Him, and by intimately knowing Him as a friend. how! beautiful!

with this in mind, i want to circle back to the beginning of this devotional: waiting with intention and not idleness.

the Lord has good plans for us, and it is not our job to know how, where, or when. as much as it may pain us to not have all of the information, you don’t need it to be obedient. you don’t need it to demonstrate faith.

wait intentionally for the Lord by first and foremost seeking to know Him as Father and Friend. He promises you will find Him when you seek Him! go taste and see how sweet it is to live in His life of goodness by seeking Him with all your heart.

waiting is not always easy, but we can take courage and comfort in Him as our Rock (Psalm 62). waiting is not always straightforward, but we can rest and know that the Lord will renew our strength (Isaiah 50:31). waiting can be trivial, but we can reach out to His embrace as our help and our shield (Psalm 33:20).

the art of waiting is strange, but the soil the Lord uses in the waiting is the soil that will grow rich fruit. let Him tend the soil.

wait.

with great love,

emily christine