Waiting and Trusting
God knows every need, every longing, every joy. He made us and He sent Jesus to live as one of us. He knows that our lives are filled with waiting. We wait for our wedding day. We wait for the birth of the baby. We wait for the baby to sit, to stand, to step, to run, to write, to read, to understand, to decide to follow Jesus.
Waiting for the Train by Mrs. W. M. Gatch,
June 30, 1893, courtesy of the Library of Congress
Prints and Photographs Division
Waiting fills the life of every person and waiting defines much of your role as homeschooling mama. God understands how hard it is to wait, and He promises to bless our waiting.
Our ultimate and most important wait is for the day when we will be forever with the Lord. That waiting is like all other waiting. We wait, not for what we can already see, but for something we want but cannot see yet.
For in hope we have been saved,
but hope that is seen is not hope;
for who hopes for what he already sees?
But if we hope for what we do not see,
with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.
Romans 8:24-25
On Thursday Ray had appointments with two physicians, both of whom believe that Ray’s best outcome would be from a combined lung transplant and heart valve replacement. While Ray and I and our family waited for Friday’s answer from the lung transplant committee (of 85 people!) at Vanderbilt, we knew that there were three possible answers: yes, no, or we need more tests. The answer we received at about noon on Friday was that some committee members are concerned about that surgery for someone who is 73 years old, so the heart surgeon wants to look closer at one of the tests. Meanwhile, Ray was asked to go to a lab on Saturday for more bloodwork and one more test.
We continue to wait and trust.
Wait for the Lord;
Be strong and let your heart take courage;
Yes, wait for the Lord.
Psalm 27:14
I am praying for each of you in this time of waiting. May the Lord comfort each of you and give you peace that surpasses all understanding. Philippians 4:7.
Oh, waiting is so hard. We are waiting with you for your next steps and what the Lord has in store for you.
My children and I are reading Little Pilgrim’s Progress at lunch right now and I teared up to read this today, and then read it again to them:
“I think we shall have to take the poison,” [said Little Christian.] “It is dreadful here. We cannot bear it much longer, and we shall never be able to escape.”
“You must not talk in that way,” replied Hopeful. “You are forgetting all that has happened to you before. Just remember what a long way you have traveled and how many dangers you have been in. You were not afraid to fight with Self, and the King helped you to conquer him. You passed safely through the Dark Valley, and even in Vanity Fair the King did not let you be killed. Let us trust in Him and wait a bit longer.” (From chap. 35, The Key of Promise)
May you trust in Him and wait a bit longer.
Oh Charlene, I haven’t been keeping up with your posts as I used to, and now I wish I had been. I will be praying for you and Ray, and that God gives his doctors wisdom. Thank you for continuing to encourage others, even as you walk through waiting and striving to be patient yourself. Sending you a big hug!