Welcome back to “Friday Feature!” Grab a cup of coffee, relax, and enjoy today’s devotion! If you missed the last devotion, you can read it here!
Jenna Pac brings us today’s devotion titled, “Peace in the Waiting.” Jenna is a single 30-something year old who loves to cook, hike, travel to the mountains, and have bonfires. When she isn’t working her full-time job in corporate communications, she enjoys spending time with family and enjoying the simple things in life. You can follow her on Instagram at @ajourneywithjenna and check out her lifestyle blog at www.ajourneywithjenna.com.
Peace in the Waiting
It might seem odd to open a devotion with a reference to a rock band, but hear me out. Have you heard that song by the Rolling Stones, “You Can’t Always Get What You Want”? Well, the lyrics say that you can’t always get what you want, but if you try, sometimes you get what you need. And how true that is in our lives! God doesn’t always give us what we want, or when we want it, but He always provides what we need, and at just the right time.
I don’t know about you, but I’ve had to wait for a lot of things in my life. Not just the mundane things like waiting in line at the store, waiting at a doctor’s office, or waiting at a red light – bigger things like finding a husband and landing a job I truly enjoy. Sometimes I’ve found myself discouraged, and it’s easy to do when people ask, “Are you still single” or “Still looking for a new job?” But as long as we’re trying and doing our part, we have to depend on God to take care of the rest. He will bring those things we’ve been longing for into our lives if it’s His will, and it will be in His timing – not when we think we should have it.
So how do you have peace while you’re waiting, especially if you feel like you’re not receiving any answers and it’s been months or years that you’ve been waiting for something?
- Prayer is critical. We can’t expect God to give us things if we aren’t asking Him. Be specific in your prayers. Nothing is too big or too small for God. Philippians 4:6 tells us: “Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”
- The best advice I’ve ever received on how to find peace in any situation – whether you’re in a season of waiting or going through a stressful time – is to keep your eyes on Jesus.
So, what does that mean? Well, it means spending time with him not only in prayer, but by reading his Word. So many words of encouragement can be found in the Bible, and there are countless stories of how God provided for his children. Take Job for example. He lost everything he had and was at the lowest of lows, but because he kept his faith and didn’t give up, God eventually gave him twice as much as he had before.
Keeping your eyes on Jesus also means shifting your mindset. Be thankful for what God has already given you. Don’t compare your life to others. Just because someone else may have what you would like, or maybe it looks like everything has come easy to them, we don’t know each person’s situation. And sometimes people force things upon themselves that aren’t God’s will for them.
Be patient, trust God, and keep your eyes on Him. He will provide and will always do what’s best for you. And often times, what God has for us is so much better than anything we ever could’ve imagined!
I’ll close with my favorite passage of Scripture, Jeremiah 29:11-13. “For I know the plans I have for you – this is the Lord’s declaration – plans for your well-being, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. You will call to me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart.”