Faith’s Fortitude: Trusting in the Waiting
Behold his singular focus on his master’s return
“Therefore the Lord will wait, that He may be gracious to you” (Isaiah 30:18).
Reflecting on today’s Abide Above devotional, I was reminded of the beauty and challenge of waiting on the Lord. Waiting is not a passive endurance but an active, expectant trust—a quiet confidence in the unchanging goodness and faithfulness of God. Yet, how often do we grow weary in the waiting? How easily do we grasp for control, forgetting that He is fully sufficient and always at work?
A Story of Waiting and Transformation
As I meditated on this truth, I couldn’t help but think of a brother in Christ whose journey illustrates the refining nature of waiting. Decades ago, this man was introduced to the exchanged life by the late Bill Freeman, a teacher whose ministry helped countless people grasp and appropriate their full identity in Christ. My friend had every opportunity to embrace these life-giving truths. He sat under powerful teaching, received personal discipleship, and immersed himself in transformative works. Yet, for reasons he couldn’t understand at the time, it simply didn’t "click." The truths remained head knowledge; his heart wasn’t ready to fully embrace them.
The next two decades were marked by persistent anxiety and an ongoing struggle to live the abundant life God promises. Fear of people and circumstances dominated his life, creating barriers to experiencing the peace and freedom Christ offers. People-pleasing became a way of coping, but it only added to his burdens.
Then, in God’s perfect timing, this man encountered the exchanged life teachings again—this time through a small group fellowship. He heard a testimony of how God had set another brother in Christ free from similar struggles. As he listened, the truths of Galatians 2:20 finally resonated deeply in his heart: “I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.” It dawned on him that the life he had been striving to control, marked by fear and self-effort, was already gone. His true life was hidden with Christ in God, secure and victorious.
This revelation changed everything. He realized his old self—the fearful, anxious, people-pleasing version of him—had been crucified, dead, and buried with Christ. His new self was alive and seated with Christ in the heavenly realms. For the first time, he could rest in the sufficiency of Christ, allowing Him to live His life in and through him, trusting Him for the results. The anxiety and striving that had plagued him for decades melted away, replaced by a peace that surpasses all understanding.
The Refining Purpose of Waiting
Isaiah 30:18 tells us that the Lord waits to be gracious to us. This waiting isn’t a delay caused by God but a refining process allowed by Him. My friend’s story reminds me of the father in the parable of the prodigal son. The father didn’t run after the son to control or coerce him. He waited expectantly and patiently, scanning the horizon, trusting the process of his son’s transformation. When the son finally returned, the father’s joy overflowed, showing the depth of his love and the beauty of restoration.
Similarly, our heavenly Father waits with us in seasons of refinement, using the waiting to draw us closer to Him. In those times, He teaches us to trust Him more deeply, surrendering our illusions of control. Waiting isn’t about proving our endurance—it’s about growing our dependence on the One who is utterly trustworthy.
How often do we wrestle with the false belief that we can control our circumstances or the people around us? My friend’s story—and my own—reminds me that control is an illusion. We are not the ones steering the ship; God is. When we let go of the illusion of control and trust Him fully, we find rest in His sufficiency.
Faith That Trusts the Process
The waiting is never wasted. God uses these seasons to teach us patience, faith, and hope. Romans 8:25 reminds us, “If we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.” It’s in the waiting that we discover the depths of His grace and mercy.
This doesn’t mean the challenges disappear or that life becomes easy. On the contrary, as we walk with Christ, the challenges may grow. Yet, we are no longer striving to handle them in our strength. We are letting Christ live His life in us and through us, trusting Him to do what we cannot, and to be what we cannot. He is not merely someone to lean on—He is our complete source of life. And as we trust Him more, He gains more of us, expressing His love, grace, and power through our surrendered lives.
A Prayer of Trust
Lord, thank You for being the One who waits with us and works in us. Thank You for teaching us that waiting is not about passivity but about trusting You fully. We surrender the illusion of control and the striving of our flesh, knowing that Your timing is perfect and Your ways are good. Thank You for being our life, our sufficiency, and our peace. May we walk in the light of Your truth, reflecting the glory of Your grace to a world that so desperately needs it. Amen.
How does God’s timing and faithfulness shape your trust in Him? Have you experienced the refining work of waiting in your own life?