I have several dear friends who are waiting for God to open doors in their lives–or to close them. I will also confide that I absolutely include myself as a participant in the waiting game.
John Waller’s “While I’m Waiting” has been an incredibly powerful song for me this summer. How much do we all need to remember that God has nothing for us but “plans for good, and not for woe, plans for a hope and a future” (Jer 29:11)?
How will we ever learn what it means to trust God with our lives and our happiness if we never have to trust Him when there’s no end in sight?
The first step to getting through a difficult time in our lives is to recognize that God has placed where we are for a reason, and that every hour we are there, He’s got a perfect plan for us to live that only we can act out.
The second step to getting through a difficult time, I think, is choosing how we are going to deal with things. There are only two choices: Our way, or God’s way. And God’s way is “the way, the truth, and the life.” God’s way includes choosing to wait on our wise Heavenly Father while doing all of the things that Waller talks about in this song.
Waller completely gets something important about trusting God and His plan for us: he understands that waiting on God–God’s way–is really an active, engaged state of being. “While I’m waiting,” Waller says, he chooses to be hopeful, patient, and “bold and confident.” He chooses to keep “moving forward,” to keeping “running the race,” to serve and worship God “even while I wait.” God is not calling us to “stick it out” complaining, whining and letting ourselves drown in misery, impatience, frustration and anger.
Part of growing into the man or woman God created us to be is passing through the “Refiner’s fire.” Fire does burn things, but it can also purify things and make things stronger. We have to choose whether we will let something burn us or purify and refine our hearts to be closer to God and thereby closer to the man or woman we were specially created to be.
I once had a dear friend refer me to the Blessed Mother with a special prayer intention during a difficult time. I asked her why having Mary intercede with her Son on my behalf would help matters. “Well,” she said, “Think about the image of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Mary’s heart is pictured as being on fire. Yes, she is on fire with love for her Son, but her heart is also absolutely pure. When she takes our special intentions into her heart and to her Son for us, she purifies those intentions a thousand times over, bringing to Jesus what the deepest and purest desires of our hearts behind what those intentions are, and pointing us closer to Jesus.”
When we pray to the Immaculate Heart of Mary for help in time of need, she in turn points to the Him who is “the way, the truth, and the life,” and has a way of conveying to us what she said at the wedding at Cana: “Do whatever he tells you” (Jn.2:5).
I’m waiting on You, Lord
And I am hopeful
I’m waiting on You, Lord
Though it is painful
But patiently, I will wait
I will move ahead, bold and confident
Taking every step in obedience
While I’m waiting
I will serve You
While I’m waiting
I will worship
While I’m waiting
I will not faint
I’ll be running the race
Even while I wait
I’m waiting
I’m waiting on You, Lord
And I am peaceful
I’m waiting on You, Lord
Though it’s not easy
But faithfully, I will wait
Yes, I will wait
I will serve You while I’m waiting
I will worship while I’m waiting
I will serve You while I’m waiting
I will worship while I’m waiting
I will serve you while I’m waiting
I will worship while I’m waiting on You, Lord
Leave a Reply