“I believe that I shall see the bounty of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord with courage; be stouthearted, and wait for the Lord.” – Psalm 27: 13-14
Trust in the Lord’s timing.
This is a lesson I’ve struggled with immensely in the past, but have come to make my peace with. There have been enough times in my life where I’ve believed with such surety that there could not be something better than that blocked path that I so desperately wanted to take, only to be proven wrong later by a new opportunity. Something else will meander in at the most unexpected time and I get struck with the thought, “This is why He closed that door for me. I could not see it then, but perhaps now I do.”
Now that waiting period can be fearfully long, and is only extended by the inability to know when it will end. For a long time I believed waiting to be something static, where I’m standing by on the precipice before something greater, unable to do anything but watch and await its arrival. But I’ve come to learn that within waiting there can be preparation, and that preparation makes that once stagnant period something bearable and fruitful. I cannot choose when my prayers will be answered, but I can choose what the quality and strength of my character will be when it does.
The difficulty for me lies in finding courage. In just this past year it feels as though I’ve been through countless trials and I find myself wishing things could just slow down or stop for a moment so I can catch my breath. In my struggles I have always believed in Him and known that I will make it past them, but that knowledge does not always diminish the worries, fear, or exhaustion I carry in the face of those tasks.
My God, help me find the strength of mind, body, and spirit to stay the course and remain on the path you have laid for me. Help me have the courage to continue forward even when it is hardest to, do not permit my fears to prevail over me.
–Audrey Kunz