Patience is Having Faith in God's Timing

Learning to Trust in God's Timing

Sometimes it is difficult to see God's plan when we have our hearts set on something we desire. In the waiting, God is teaching us. He is reminding us to have faith... to trust in Him that He will provide all that we need. As it says in Matthew 6:26: "Consider the birds of the sky. They don't sow or reap or gather in barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren't you worth more than they?"

In the Waiting, God is Working

Anyone who has struggled with infertility knows the monthly roller coaster of the waiting, hoping, and temporary excitement followed by anguish, sadness, and disappointment. I lived this for three years -- thirty-six months before I finally let go. I can't tell you the small fortune that I invested in ovulation tests or the hours I poured into fertility calendars, blogs, and books. I thought for sure that once I stopped taking my birth control pills, it wouldn't be but a couple of months before we saw those two little blue lines. After the first six months, I was still hopeful yet perplexed. Afterall, I was only in my thirty's. I had waited to finish college, establish my career, and ensure I could support a child who depended on me. I never wanted to have a baby while I was still going to college full time at night. I spent my days working a 9-5 forty hour a week job. I wanted to be sure I could give our baby the time and attention they deserved.

After three years of waiting, hoping, praying and being met with nothing but continuous disappointment, we decided to go for fertility testing to determine if there was a scientific reason for our inability to conceive. The results came back inconclusive. They could not explain it. That was when I finally put the idea down of "trying" to be a birth mother. I had accepted that maybe that wasn't God's plan for me after all. My husband, Rob, and I moved forward with plans to build a new home together and my focus stopped depending on trying to control my destiny. I threw away the fertility calendars, unsubscribed from fertility content creators, and cancelled my subscription to Parenting. I placed my attention on my stepchildren and helping Rob with choosing lights, fixtures, and paint for our new home.

Sarah Learns to Wait on the Lord

In the book of Genesis, chapter 12 - 21, we learn the story of God's covenant with Abraham and God's blessing to Abraham that He would make him a father of many nations. God said if a man could number the dust of the earth, then they could count Abraham's descendants -- "more than the stars in the sky". Abraham and his wife Sarah move to the land of Canaan, and God says the land will be given to Abraham and his descendants. After living in Canaan for ten years, Sarah (now 76 years old) had still not born a child to Abraham (now 85 years old). Sarah undoubtedly was heartbroken and had grown weary as disappointment came month after month. She began to question that maybe Abraham didn't hear God correctly and maybe she was not meant to be the birth mother of Abraham's child. So, Sarah took matters into her own hands and gave Abraham her servant, Hagar, as a concubine and Hagar conceived a son named Ishmael. Abraham was 86 years old when Ishmael was born.

Thirteen years later, The Lord appeared to Abraham (now 99 years old) and again reaffirmed His covenant with Abraham. God promised that the same time the following year Sarah would be the "mother of nations" and their son would be named Isaac. Both Abraham and Sarah laughed at this because she (now 90 years old) was well passed childbearing years', and they felt it was physically not possible. The Lord responded, "is anything too difficult for the Lord?" One year later, at the time God had promised, Sarah and Abraham had a son, and they called him Isaac.

Lessons Learned in the Waiting

Many times, I have heard the question, "Why does God allow His people to suffer?". I have my opinion on why, but the Bible tells us that Jesus said, "in this life you will experience pain." God also gave us free will and with that we get both the good with the bad. I believe that it is in our suffering that God draws us closer to Him. If every day was sunshine and rainbows, most people would never cling to the Lord or go to His Word for answers. When we experience pain or heartache, God hears our heart and waits for us to invite Him in.

In this world, we are so used to getting things the moment we want them. We don't even have to wait a whole week to watch our favorite show anymore -- we can binge the entire season in one night if we want. If something is sold out at our local store, no worries -- we can just order online and have it delivered the next day. In my infertility journey, I tried to force God's timing using ovulation tests and relied on fertility calendars in hopes to conceive. After three years of waiting, I stopped trying and placed my faith in God's hands. Sarah waited ten years before she tried to force God's hand. Then she had to watch another woman raise her husband's son. After this tough lesson, and another 14 years of waiting -- God blessed Sarah.

In this fast-paced world, we must remember that God's ways are higher than our ways; His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. When we learn to let go and trust in Him, we will see the many blessings He has planned for our lives. In the Genesis story, it is my belief that God waited until Sarah was well passed the time a woman could give birth before He blessed them with a child. That way, no one could dispute that Isaac was truly a blessing from the Lord. There would be no space left to doubt. This story is what helped me to learn to trust in God's timing and to lean on His understanding, not my own. I hope by sharing the bible story that taught me one of life's biggest lessons: "Patience is Having Faith In God's Timing." that it will bring renewed hope for whatever blessing you are awaiting. Remember that the answer to your prayer may not always look like you imagined or hoped because God knows exactly what you need-- when you need it. His timing is never late and is always perfect!

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