Women’ s Ministry
Waiting is a normal part of all of our lives, but it is difficult to wait. Waiting can mean that something is missing in our lives, and we want to have what is missing. What goes on inside of us as we wait reveals something about who we are. Our attitude in waiting tells on us. We are found out, as it shows us what is most dear to us. Betsy Childs Howard, in her book Seasons of Waiting, has a different idea about waiting.“ God is at work in our waiting.”
We think that waiting in line or waiting in traffic is hard. We have other ways that we want to spend our time. Waiting for something to end that we think is unpleasant is hard. This can lead to an almost constant state of waiting. We are waiting for present circumstances to end so that we can move on to more desirable ones. Waiting for Christmas vacation or for the school year to end is hard. We anticipate what we will love about these breaks from work and it is hard to wait for them to come. Waiting for a home to be repaired after a disaster is hard. We understandably want to return to normal, comfortable living. Missing and waiting to see a loved one who is away from us is hard. Waiting for things to be the same that will never be the same is hard. Waiting to be well is hard when we are ill. Waiting for a child to be well is even harder. Waiting for a husband is hard when friends are getting married. Waiting to have a baby is hard when the longing for a child is strong. We all wait on something or someone. The whole process of waiting and longing and what we do while waiting
Waiting
has something to teach us.
Whatever helps us to see what is going on inside of us is a good thing, because it is hard to know our own hearts. We can imagine that our devotion to God is greater than what it is, especially if we depend on our spiritual habits as evidence of this devotion. As important and irreplaceable as they are, practices like going to church, attending Bible studies, praying, memorizing Scripture and the like do not tell the whole story. These practices are certainly a means to deeper devotion, but one could do all of these things with or without devotion to God. Devotion to God is choosing him over ourselves. It is choosing what he wants over what we want. It is knowing that what he wants for me is better than what I want for me. Our attitude in waiting tells us a lot about our devotion to God. It may be hard for us to accept, but our attitude in waiting tells us something about what our hearts actually long for.
Betsy Childs Howard tells us,“ Most women are waiting for something, but some women are waiting acutely. The thing missing from their lives is in such sharp focus that they aren’ t sure they’ ll ever feel complete without it.” While this is true of us, Betsy wants us to see something else about waiting. Waiting is not just something to be rid of:“…. the goal of this school( of waiting) is not that I should learn my lesson so that I don’ t have to wait anymore. God wants me to learn how to wait so that I can wait well.” God does not want us to wait for things or other people, he wants us to wait for him. The idea of waiting is transformed“ if we choose to wait not just on our problems to go away but to wait upon the Lord. We can expect God to bless that waiting.” God then becomes the object of our waiting instead of our unmet longings being the object of our waiting. Betsy Childs Howard tells us,“ God won’ t waste your waiting.” She encourages us with the promises of God from Isaiah 30:
Therefore, the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore He exalts Himself to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for Him. When we wait we are waiting on God, because God is sovereign in everything.
Betsy Childs Howard’ s book, Seasons of Waiting, Walking by Faith When Dreams are Delayed, is a book that can help us as we struggle with waiting. It can help us to see waiting in a whole different way. It can help us turn waiting into an opportunity for blessing. Betsy recommends that we consult with one other as we learn to wait, that we seek out women in different stages of life for support and encouragement. This book can enrich us personally and enrich our connections to one another as we learn together in the“ school of waiting.”
Jane Boatright
Conference on Biblical Sexuality
June 9 & 10, 2017
MESSENGER APRIL 2017 PAGE 3