A Prayer to Wait Well When We Are in A Season of Uncertainty - Your Daily Prayer - September 29
A Prayer to Wait Well When We Are in A Season of Uncertainty
By Laura Bailey
Bible Reading
“I heard, and my heart pounded; my lips quivered at the sound; decay crept into my bones, and my legs trembled. Yet I will wait patiently for the day of calamity to come on the nation invading us.” - Habakkuk 3:16 NIV
Listen or Read Below
“She prayed for over a year that someone would come and fix her roof,” the translator shared the words of the sweet Puerto Rican woman I’d come to love over the past week. Taking a much-needed water and shade break from painting her concrete house, we were sitting on her porch, talking (through a gifted translator) about how God was working in our lives.
I’d come to Penuelas, Puerto Rico, with my husband, daughter, and a few of our church family on a mission trip. Our group was assigned two houses whose roofs needed to be redone and exteriors that needed to be completely repainted. While our job was to help meet their physical needs, we hoped to have the opportunity to share the gospel and provide for their spiritual needs as well.
The homeowner and I didn’t converse much with words (lots of smiles and hugs, though), but by God’s grace, He orchestrated a conversation in which she shared that she’d been praying for over a year about her roof. With a smile, she confided that she'd never thought a group of people from South Carolina would provide the answer to her prayer, but that’s how God works sometimes—on a different timeline and method than we imagine.
I couldn’t help but feel the presence of the Holy Spirit piercing my heart as she spoke. For the last few months, I’d been in a faith slump. I’d grown increasingly frustrated at God’s lack of response and resolution to my prayer requests. Truthfully, it had only been a few weeks since I began praying about my next career steps, but I was tired of waiting and ready for God to do something!
I am often reminded of the prophet Habakkuk when I am in a season of waiting on God—specifically when I am struggling to wait well amid uncertainty. Habakkuk cried out to God, asking for relief from the pain and suffering he saw around him, and while God responds, it’s on His timeline and for His purposes. Habakkuk is initially discouraged, but then, after remembering that God is good and faithful to keep His promises, he waits patiently for God to act.
Habakkuk’s prayer wasn’t answered in the prophet’s lifetime, yet throughout his life, he chose to trust in God’s timing and plan. There will be times, like the woman in Puerto Rico, when we see our prayers answered this side of eternity. There will be other times that it seems our prayers are unanswered, but God is always working all things for our good and His glory (Romans 8:28). Waiting isn’t easy, especially when we are in a season of uncertainty, but we can confidently say “God is good,” as we wait well.
Let’s Pray
Heavenly Father, we know that you are God who sees His people and hears their prayers and petitions. You are always present in my life; You are listening and actively working on my behalf for my good and Your glory. Please help me to wait well. You know your creation, and you fully understand that in my humanity, I struggle with control, and my lack of knowing can often lead me to fear and anxiety.
When I am tempted to manipulate or take matters into my own hands as I struggle with the waiting, please grant me patience. Lord, help me feel at peace, rid my heart and mind of anxious thoughts, and give me the strength to wait patiently. If perhaps the answer to my prayer doesn’t come during my time on earth, let me remember Your past faithfulness. You are a God who keeps His promises, yesterday, today, and for all eternity.
I love you, Lord. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Discuss today’s devotional with others in the Your Daily Prayer thread on the Crosswalk Forum.
Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/Hiraman
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