My mom texted me the word: savor.
She was telling me to savor the day I had ahead of me, but the word rang true in so many ways. How much of the goodness of God do I miss, simply because I don’t slow down long enough to open my eyes and savor it?
Savor it.
Most of the time, I don’t know how to savor the moment, the day, whatever is right in front of me because I’m waiting for the next thing to unfold. I trick myself into thinking, “Once this happens, then I can savor it…”
I am coming to understand that all of life is waiting. Yet, I keep falling for the trap that if I can just get what I want – my dreams fulfilled, my prayers answered – then I won’t have to wait anymore.
Christians talk a lot about seasons. As a pastor myself, I’ve started to notice how often I do this. I find myself asking someone in my congregation, “How is this season going?” or “How can I pray for you in this season?” It’s not that I dislike the metaphor of seasons. God made seasons and where I live in Canada we get all of them. It can be helpful for me to see my life through that lens – to know sometimes I’m living in a cold winter, or through change like autumn, or new growth like spring, or the beauty of summer.
But what if waiting isn’t a season?
All of life is waiting for something: a proposal, a job, a baby, more money, the stoplight to turn green. We sit in waiting rooms, we wait for healing, phone calls, a text to come through, for things to get better. We wait for a spouse, for kids to come back to us, for “the season to end.”
It turns out, waiting isn’t a season at all. We’re always waiting for something.
I hate that revelation. I hate waiting. I want to get to the next thing, and I want to get there right now.
In Scripture, waiting isn’t impatient or frustrated. When the Bible talks about waiting on the Lord, it’s referring to a trusting, joyful anticipation of what God might do.
Imagine that! Imagine, in your waiting – whatever you might be currently waiting for – you started to see it less as a season that hopefully will end soon, but more as an opportunity for deeper trust and joyful anticipation of what God might do.
Listen to these words from Isaiah 40:28-31 (NASB):
“Do you not know? Have you not heard?
The Everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth does not become weary or tired.
His understanding is unsearchable.
He gives strength to the weary,
And to the one who lacks might He increases power.
Though youths grow weary and tired,
And vigorous young men stumble badly,
Yet those who wait for the Lord
Will gain new strength;
They will mount up with wings like eagles,
They will run and not get tired,
They will walk and not become weary.”
This passage fills me with fresh hope and anticipation of all God might do while we wait. It turns out, the goal of waiting is not to simply kill time until we get what we want.
The goal of waiting is to stir up joyful anticipation of what God might do next. The text says it all: we get tired; God doesn’t.
It’s okay to get tired of waiting. I don’t think that’s wrong. But I just don’t want to miss out on what God could be forming in me during the waiting. The new strength He’ll bring. The trust He’ll deepen. Or perhaps even, the joyful anticipation and wonder of all He could do…
That’s something I’m excited to savor.
Aliza,
Thank you for this encouragement! I’ll share it as I SAVOR my day
Sending you new year joy,
Lisa
Aliza, what a delightful encouragement from you
Thank you
Blessings fellow Canadian
Aliza, these are precious thoughts you are sharing! And it makes me smile to think it is”mom inspired “. Bravo, Aliza’s mom!
Such a great reminder of Who God wants to be! If He will give me the wings of an eagle, I’ll take it!
What an amazing reminder of Who we are in Christ! If He will give me the wings of an eagle, I will take it!
Aliza thank you for today’s reading. It speaks to me a lot. I found out on the past. God doesn’t answer my prayers as quickly as I like God too. I have to wait in God’s timing to see will he answer the prayer I want answered. If not I have to accept it was not God’s will to answer me. Sometimes God has made me wait. That is hard when you want him to not keep you waiting for him to answer you. Especially if an important need that needs to be answered. You are kept waiting and I have said why God have you not answered this prayer request I need you to answer. Then I heard God say are you not trusting me that I know what is best and the time to answer the prayer or tell you what to do next. God has told me to keep looking up and stand on his promises in word that I believe he will answer it. Keep trusting him. But I have at time seams to think my way was best. Why will God not do it my way. Then when I have got answer from God to tell me what to do or to say God has answered my prayer after all the waiting. Then when think and I look at the what God did and said yes in the end God was right to make me wait and trust him no matter what. Not expect it to answered my way and as quickly as I want. As if God did it wouldn’t have been the right timing or the right way. God I have to mit know best and know what best for me. I have to keeping looking on to God and trusting him and stand I on his promises no matter the wait. As with God he knows best. I say Amen to that. Love Dawn Ferguson-Little Enniskillen Co.Fermanagh N.Ireland xx
I lead a ministry for moms of struggling adult children. It’s called God’s Waiting Room. This was a perfect devotional to share with them. Thank you, I loved the perspective because that is what we do, disciple them in how to trust God with their adult children’s difficult situations. Thank you again for being used of the Lord to bless the body of Christ.
Aliza,
From 2007-2017 I was in a season of caregiving for my parents-dementia. Prayed many times for it to be over. It hit me that God was working through me in that time. My faith & trust muscles were strengthened mightily. It seemed like nothing to trust God to deliver what I needed & more. He has done that several times. Each time I was in awe of His love for me. It makes me wonder what He has in store this year for me. I’m savoring my time with Him & using my waiting to build a deeper connection to Him.
Blessings 🙂