A couple of weeks ago I spent a night out of town with my friend in Columbus. I got in my car to drive home the next day, knowing hard things waited. They’d already been on my mind constantly and I’d been praying without ceasing. Asking for a miracle. So many people in our lives right now are dealing with unexpected, unimaginable difficulty. I wasn’t trying to be defiant or necessarily questioning, but the words slipped out from my lips into the air, “God, what are you doing?”
He reminded me, “I’m in the waiting. I know you want to know how it’s going to work out, but don’t miss me in the here and now.”
It’s so easy in the storms of life to be overtaken by the wind or lose our sight due to the rain. Clouds are looming, but friend, let me remind you: He’s in the waiting.
He’s in the waiting. The same God who will bring you through is the same God who is walking beside you right now. The same One who is aware of your situation. The same One who knew this was coming. God is not just good because we are hopeful for a positive outcome.
God is who He is regardless of my human response.
He is in the waiting. You’re not forgotten and He is not far off. The same power that He is using to work things out is with you in every moment. Every breath.
He doesn’t just want your company or your praise at the end. He wants it now. He wants you to draw near even if you can’t pray anymore or don’t know what to say. His heart is for you. The same God you know can work a miracle is the same God who wants to hold you up.
“Look up into the heavens. Who created all the stars? He brings them out like an army, one after another, calling each by its name. Because of his great power and incomparable strength, not a single one is missing. O Jacob, how can you say the Lord does not see your troubles? O Israel, how can you say God ignores your rights?”
Isaiah 40:26-27 NLT
In the same instance that God reminded me that He is in the waiting, He reminded me of this scripture. If He knows all the stars by name, surely He knows me. Surely he sees my friends in their plight and their battles. Isaiah goes on to write:
“Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding.”
Isaiah 40:28 NLT
When all else fails, He doesn’t. When all hope seemed lost, the veil tore and our access to the Creator was given. When we are so focused on the outcomes, things we can’t control, further exhausting ourselves, He’s not. He’s not weak or weary. He’s not rushing.
One of the phrases my friends and I have been saying the most is “this is a marathon, not a sprint.”
He’s in the waiting. If we want to sprint through we are most likely to miss what He is doing. I can point to answered prayers while we are waiting. The process of preparing for a marathon is arduous. The race itself is grueling. God’s not influenced by our fast paced culture and instant results.
He knows where the finish line is but doesn’t want you to miss what a great training partner He is before you get there.
It’s a choice. To either be consumed by anxiety and worry and defeat, or to stand with eyes open, even if your teeth are clenched, believing He is in the waiting. God doesn’t disregard our tears or anger. Jesus weeps in John 11 with the family of Lazarus, knowing He is going to raise him from the dead.
“He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.”
Isaiah 40:29-31 NLT
He is in the waiting. He’s in the hospital, in the detox, in the grief. He’s up at night and with the morning sun. Stand with hope friends. He is in the waiting.
standing with hope 
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