21 Days of Prayer for the World: Day 19

Friday, November 10
DAY 19: PRAYER IN THE WAITING

SCRIPTURE
“Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage. Yes, wait for the Lord.”
– Psalm 27:14

“Those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not be faint.
– Isaiah 40:31

“The Lord is good to those who wait for him, the soul who seeks him.”
– ­Lamentations 3:25

A few years ago, I found myself in a season of waiting. A long, dry season of waiting. As the weeks drug on, my prayers grew stale. The words fell flat and many days I found it hard to even utter an Amen. Maybe you’ve been there or perhaps you are there now—desperate for a glimmer of hope, a cracked door, or the nudge to keep moving forward. Short on words and weary from the waiting. I wish I could tell you I felt the growth and flourishing in that season. In all honesty, it felt dry and dark and heavy. But that season has marked my journey with Jesus more than nearly any other.

I remember staring out our apartment window during that time, watching my kids play and laugh in the snow and being overwhelmed by the simple yet personal ways God was covering my sweet little family with His kindness in those uncertain days. There weren’t answers and changes to my circumstances, but He was right there reminding me He was as present as he had ever been. Even in the waiting.

The word wait in Hebrew comes from a root word meaning “to bind together”. Waiting on the Lord is an act of entangling ourselves with Him. In the same way a rope gains strength as it is twisted together, those long days of waiting and wrestling are binding us to Him.

That winter season was growing a resilience in me that I couldn’t see at the time. It was introducing me to the kindness of Jesus in a new and personal way. It was teaching me to trust His faithfulness despite what my eyes could see. It gave me strength that carried me through those days and that continues to give me courage to face whatever may come.

PRAYER
God, it is hard to sit in these days of waiting. I so badly want to see something change. To know how the story ends. Please help me see your hand in these desert days. I know you are with me and you are working even in the darkest of days. On the days I don’t have the words to pray, please hear the groanings of my heart. Help me to lift my eyes and see your kindness towards me. You are a good father and you give good gifts to us. Help me trust your plan and your timing. Your strength will carry me. Amen.

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