Be Still and Wait for the Lord

Disappointment. Unrelenting disappointment. These words stuck out to me in my study of Proverbs 13:12 this morning.

“Unrelenting disappointment leaves you heartsick…” (MSG)

In my past I have experienced this kind of disappointment. It brings about a feeling of despair, darkness and hopelessness. It “makes the heart sick” (Prov 12:13). The heart is the “wellspring of life” (Prov. 4:23). It is the essence of who we are. Our thoughts, words, actions and emotions stream from the heart. When we hold onto these disappointments and let them consume us, it can affect our lives and the people around us in more ways than one. It becomes a burden, but it also leads us to doubting God and the plan that He has set before us.     

We will go through difficult seasons of waiting, of disappointment, of trials and suffering in our lifetime. And we have a choice on how we respond. We can either take control of the situation, thinking we know what is best, letting our thoughts consume us. Or we can keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, be still and wait for Him.

Satan is constantly at work, trying to deter our thoughts away from the truth of God. In the beginning, Eve doubted God. She had a choice – the tree of life or the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Sin entered the world when she decided to shift her focus on her own thoughts and doubt God and His plan. We have a choice, and while we may have that deep desire to know why we go through certain struggles and trials and to try and control it on our own, we need to trust that there is a plan and God won’t forsake us. He is working behind the scenes and He has our best interest in mind. 

“…but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life (Prov. 12:13b, NIV)

God reveals Himself to us through the “unrelenting disappointments”. We just have to open our hearts to receiving Him, shifting our focus from earthly desires to the person of Jesus Christ and what He is trying to teach us during that time of waiting. 

“Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him.” (Ps. 37:7, NIV)

Surrender control. Depend fully on God. Seek Him first. Trust.

This will in turn not only give us the opportunity to learn more about the character of God and the life He has given us through the suffering that Jesus experienced, but, it will also help us to recognize the current blessings we do have. We also become aware of how God has brought us through trials in the past, which gives us a heart of thankfulness in response. We can only grow more in our faith and love for God in the difficult seasons of waiting and be confident in the fact that God’s timeline for blessing us is perfect.