In the 38 years we’ve been married, my husband has become an exceptional hiker, especially for someone who only sees through one eye! He’s even learned to cross streams without getting his feet wet!
But that particular stream looked more like a river, and the rocks leading across would require leaping from one slippery rock to the other…
“I don’t think I can,” he called out as I hoped off the last rock and onto dry ground on the other side.
I sighed. It hadn’t been an easy crossing, and I’ll admit my boot was a bit damp from a place where I slipped a bit into the water… No, he wouldn’t be able to make it across… But surely the hike couldn’t end like this! We were nearly to the top of the trail where a beautiful waterfall reportedly awaited us! Determined to get him across, no matter what the cost, I picked my way back to his side. But there simply was no way. In the end, he gave me his camera and said he’d wait while I visited the waterfall…
And he did wait. Even though it was actually a lot farther to the falls than we had thought, and it took me a lot more time than I had told him.
Over the last two Saturdays, we’ve been looking at the concept of something that blocks our ability to move forward in life. This might be a physical problem such as a disease or a handicap; it might be an emotional problem such as anxiety or depression; it might be circumstance, such as a loss of job or a death in the family; hey, it might even be something as vague as worry or doubt or fear! Whatever it is, it is completely stopping you from attaining your goals in life. In these past two devotionals, we have seen that it is important to be persistent, to trust God, and to move forward whenever there is the possibility to do so. I would like to propose, however, that sometimes it is physically impossible to move past those barriers. I mean, the illness could be terminal. Baring a miracle, you can’t move “past” that! And no amount of persistence will bring back the loved one you’ve lost to death. Then what?
Then you follow my husband’s example at that impossible stream crossing: You wait!
But “waiting” doesn’t get you anywhere!
Doesn’t it?
When I crossed back to my husband’s side of that stream, I didn’t find the breathless, void of energy person I had left there! Rather, I found someone who, unlike me, looked rested and had caught his breath; and while I hung back a bit with fatigue on the trail back to the car, he was ready to conquer it!
“What did you do while you waited?” I panted.
He smiled. “I had a great time talking to God!”
Similarly, even though waiting doesn’t bring back departed loved ones and doesn’t remove our anxiety or depression, the Bible teaches that when we wait upon the Lord, our strength is increased: “But those who wait on 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.” (Isaiah 40:31 NLT). When our path through life looks to be completely blocked, like there is no way forward except to choose a different path, then we need to follow my husband’s example and wait! For when we do, we allow God to be God. We renew our strength and our faith in Him, and when He opens a new door, we are the first to push on through.
So what do we do while we wait?
Again, we follow my husband’s example: He spent time talking to God and praying!
Here’s a list of 10 suggestions, taken from “Open the Bible“, of things we can do while we wait upon the Lord:
1. Believe that the God who saved you hears your cries (See Micah 7:7 NLT).
2. Watch with expectancy, but be prepared for unexpected answers (See Psalm 5:3)
3. Put your hope in his Word (See Psalm 130:5-6)
4.Trust in the Lord, not in your own understanding (See Proverbs 3:5-6).
5. Resist fretting, refrain from anger, be still, and choose patience (See Psalm 37:7-8).
6. Be strong and take courage (See Psalm 27:13-14; 31:24).
7. See it as an opportunity to experience God’s goodness (See Psalm 27:13; Lamentations 3:25).
8. Wait for God’s promise instead of going your own way (See Acts 1:4).
9. Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful with thanksgiving (See Colossians 4:2).
10. Remember the blessings yet to come (Isaiah 30:18).
Whatever it is that’s blocking your path, be persistent and follow God’s lead to work your way around or through the problems. But if ever there is simply no way through, then be prepared to wait upon the Lord, and in so doing, to renew your strength!
In His love,
Lyn
Lynona Gordon Chaffart
Moderator, Associate Director, Answers2Prayer Ministries
(to access the entire “blocking the Road” mini-series, please click here!)