From Randy: One of our pastors at Good Shepherd Community Church, Jerayl DeVelvis, quoted from the following article, by Courtney Doctor, in an outstanding sermon this past weekend. It so resonated with both of us that I looked it up and Nanci and I read the whole article. It captured our own thoughts and feelings more than nearly anything we’ve read. 

This is being posted on a day when Nanci is going in for yet another major procedure, this time to deal with a presumably malignant tumor blocking her airway and making her breathing difficult. (Updates are posted on Nanci’s CaringBridge.)

“But don’t you pray for healing?” I’ve been asked. Of course. We have prayed daily and earnestly for complete healing for Nanci for over three and a half years. That continues to be our prayer, and countless others have prayed the same for her. 

We haven’t given up, but we do realize that GOD IS GOD AND WE ARE NOT! He is all-loving, all-good and all-wise. We ASK Him to heal Nanci, we don’t TELL Him to do so, because He is the Master, and we are His servants as well as His children.

Our faith is not in our faith. Our faith is in our God. We answer to Him, He does not answer to us. Please join us in asking—not demanding—that our gracious God would heal Nanci. And that today He would guide the procedure and help her to breathe better and recover well. We love Him and we entrust ourselves to His sovereign loving care, without reservation.

Hope for Waiting Hearts

By Courtney Doctor

I had a horse named Carson who was practically perfect in every way—as long as she was moving. The minute she had to stand still and wait, she would pace back and forth, stomp her feet, and throw her head. I would run back and forth to the tack room to hurry and saddle her because she would create such a restless ruckus. As long as she was moving, she was calm, obedient, and a joy. But when she had to wait, she was a night“mare.”

Honestly, I empathized with her. I’m not good at waiting either. I would much rather be moving forward. Somewhere. Anywhere. But sitting quietly and waiting is hard for me. So can you guess what God has me doing right now? Waiting. My husband and I are in a season of waiting for God to show us what’s next—where we should go and what we should do.

But we’re not the only ones. I have a friend waiting for the lab results from her husband’s biopsy. Another friend is waiting for a reprieve from an emotionally devastating situation. Yet another continues to wait and hope for a child. These are not light things to wait for. Psalm 37:7 tells us to “be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him.” Unlike Carson, I want to learn how to do this—to be still as I wait.

I recently heard a pastor say, “The waiting may be hard, but it never leads to disappointment.” The truth of that statement rests entirely on what we think we are waiting for. In other words, the question isn’t simply what am I waiting for, but what am I hoping in? I’m learning that waiting and hope are intimately tied together.

Waiting, by definition, has something hoped for at the end of the wait. We are waiting/hoping for the right job. My friends are waiting/hoping for a good report, relief, and a baby. But what if those things aren’t given? God never promises that our seasons of waiting will end by receiving exactly what we want. Not all infertility ends with a baby. Not all cancer ends with a cure. Not all singleness ends with a spouse. Which means that our hope can’t be anchored in the thing we’re waiting for. Our hope has to be anchored in something far greater—the promises and character of God.

Hope in His Promises

I passed a billboard on my way to the airport this morning that proclaimed, “Jesus heals cancer. You don’t have to die.” Where in the world do we see that in Scripture? They’re claiming a promise God never made—and giving a hope that’s not ours to hold. The psalmist said, “I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I hope” (Ps. 130:5). Our hope has to be anchored in the promises God has given us in Scripture. Here are just a few:

• I will never leave you nor forsake you (Heb. 13:5).
• And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose (Rom. 8:28).
• Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us (Rom. 8:26).
• Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us (Rom. 8:34).
• Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you (1 Peter 5:7).
• In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also (John 14:2–3).

These are anchors for your soul. When you’re in a season of waiting and feel yourself becoming anxious, run to these and remind yourself of the hope that is yours.

Hope in His Character

Hope also has to be anchored in the character of our God—the unwavering goodness, faithfulness, and sovereignty of the One making the promises. Psalm 46 reminds us to “be still, and know that I am God” (i.e., know who I am!). Knowing the nature and character of God is to know rest, even in the midst of turmoil. Why? Because what God does flows out of who God is—which means that if He is good, then His ways are good. And if His ways are good, then His answers are good—even when they’re hard.

Unfortunately, we don’t always view life that way, do we? It’s far too easy to view God’s character through the lens of our situation, instead of the other way around. If we’re going through a hard time, then God must be harsh. Or, if we are going through a trial, then God must be angry. Or if we aren’t getting what we want, then God must be unjust or unkind.

But that is using a backwards lens. Flip it around and view your circumstances through the lens of God’s character. If he is for us (Ps. 56:9), then He is working for us in this trial. If He is our refuge, our strength, and our salvation (Ps. 18:2; Isa. 12:2), then we are safe. If He is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in love (Ex. 34:6), then we can rest in the fact that He will be merciful, gracious, and loving to us. If He is great and awesome (Neh. 1:5), then He is able to work mightily in the midst of our waiting. The list could go on and on. The point is that we need to remember who our God is—and then view our circumstances through the lens of his character. We need to be still and know that He is God.

What Are You Waiting For?

As the Israelites waited for God to return them to their land, Isaiah reminded them that “they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint” (Isa. 40:31). And the same is true for us. If you’re waiting on something, remember that, ultimately, it’s the Lord you’re waiting on.

If your hope is set on getting what you want, then you stand the chance of being deeply disappointed, even disillusioned. But if we hope in the One who is utterly good, completely for us, whose Word is sure, and whose ways are perfect, then that hope will never disappoint. So when the trials come and you are called to wait and be patient, wait well by anchoring your hope in the One whose promises are sure and whose character never fails.

This article originally appeared on The Gospel Coalition and is used with the author’s permission. Learn more about Courtney on her website.

Photo by Wallace Chuck from Pexels