DAY 18
01/30/2025
VERSES TO READ:
- Isaiah 41:10
- Jeremiah 29:11
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER:
- How do you handle seasons of waiting? What might God be teaching you during this time?
- How can you be an encouragement and support to a spouse or loved one through a difficult season of uncertainty?
PRAYER TO PRAY:
Jesus, Thank You for being faithful in every season. Help us trust You in the waiting, even when answers seem far off. Teach us to rest in Your promises, to pour out our hearts to You, and to see goodness, even in uncertainty. Give strength to our relationships as we walk through the trials together and remind us that Your plans for us are good. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” – Jeremiah 29:11
As a husband, one of the toughest things I have had to do in life is to watch someone I love suffer and feel powerless to be able to fix it. My wife and I went through one of these valleys as a part of our journey to be parents. Every negative pregnancy test felt like a heavy punch. Even though the doctors reassured us that everything looked perfect, month after month, it beat down hope.
It is during those waiting seasons that God refines us. The waiting can show us where we have placed our trust, be it in our own plans, our medical reports, or even the timing that we think is best. To trust God when the answers are not forthcoming is to lean not on our own understanding but upon His promises.
During this season, I had to learn to lead in such a way that even when we couldn’t see it happening, I would show my wife—and myself—that God was still faithful. That wasn’t easy. Frustration would often well up. Doubt would creep in. But instead of bottling those emotions up, we chose to pour them out to God. Together, we cried, prayed, worshipped, and trusted.
One of the most powerful lessons we learned is that waiting doesn’t mean God is inactive. He works behind the scenes, shaping our hearts and deepening our reliance on Him. Even when the outward situation didn’t change, God was transforming us on the inside. Our marriage grew stronger as we leaned on God and each other.
And then, eventually, the miracle happened; we conceived. And that was indescribably joyful. But looking back now, it was not just the child we prayed for that was a gift, but the faith we developed in the waiting. Trusting God in the middle of uncertainty showed us that His goodness is constant, even when life feels anything but perfect.
Whether you’re waiting for a child, a job, or an answer to prayer, know this: God’s delays are not His denials. Keep pursuing Him, because in the waiting, He often gives us the most profound blessings: His presence, His peace, and a deeper trust in His plans.
