The Goodness of God in the Waiting

The Goodness of God in the Waiting

Learning to Remember While We Wait

“I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living! Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!” — Psalm 27:13–14

This past weekend, the Lord met me in a way I wasn’t expecting.

Like many quiet mornings, while everyone else was still asleep, I sat down with my Bible, my favorite devotional, and a cup of coffee.

As I began talking to the Lord—as I often do—I sensed a gentle invitation.

“Listen.”

So instead of continuing to speak I found myself opening an old prayer journal from nearly two years ago.

One by one, I read prayers I had poured out to God through tears.

Prayers for healing.

Prayers for wisdom.

Prayers for restoration for my extended family.

Prayers for strength.

Prayers and details I had since forgotten.

As I read them, I was overwhelmed.

Not because every prayer had been answered exactly the way I imagined.

But because I could see His faithfulness woven through nearly every page.

Prayer after prayer…

God had answered.

Not always in my timing.

Not always in my way.

But always according to His perfect wisdom.

I took a moment to truly comprehend and slow down.

…I slowly read through all of Psalm 27 before singing it with Shane & Shane.

I couldn’t get past the last two verses.

“I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living! Wait for the Lord…”

I realized something.

I had waited. 

Not passively 

But actively.

I had sought His face. 

I had continued praying. 

Continued trusting.

Continued stewarding.

And over the course of two years…

He had quietly answered prayer after prayer.

As mornings often do, the quiet gave way to schedules, errands, and children needing rides.

Yet the Lord wasn’t finished with the conversation…

As a mom, there have been countless times I’ve promised one of my children something.

“We’ll go after lunch.”

“I’ll help you when I’m finished.”

“We’ll do that tomorrow.”

Sometimes, before the time came, one of them would ask again.

And again.

Not because they were disobedient.

But because their little hearts wondered if I would really do what I had promised.

If I’m honest…

It was in this moment while driving in one of these circumstances with my kiddos that I realized sometimes I find myself doing the same thing with my Heavenly Father.

I know His promises.

I have seen His faithfulness.

I have countless stories of His provision.

And yet, when another setback comes or another prayer seems delayed, I begin to wonder.

“Lord…will You really come through this time?”

What struck me this weekend anew was the realization that my Heavenly Father is not like me.

He is perfect.

His timing is perfect.

His wisdom is perfect.

His love is perfect.

His ways are higher than mine.

He has never once broken a promise.

He has never once stopped caring for me.

Even in the waiting.

Especially in the waiting.

Ironically, this reminder came during another unexpected setback in my own health journey.

If I’m honest, I wasn’t expecting another setback.

I wasn’t expecting another layer.

Once again, I found myself asking,

“Lord…why now?”

And once again…

He answered me with His character before He answered my questions.

Yet as I looked back through those journal pages, the Lord gently reminded me:

His track record is faithfulness.

Faithful. Loyal. Love. 

There is a Hebrew word used throughout the Old Testament that has captured my heart for years.

Hesed.

We translate it “steadfast love,” “lovingkindness,” or “mercy,” but none of those words quite capture its beauty.

Hesed is God’s faithful, covenant-keeping, loyal love.

The love that never lets go.

The love that keeps pursuing.

The love that remains faithful even when we struggle to trust.

As I looked back through my journal…

that’s what I saw.

Not simply answered prayers.

I saw His hesed.

Waiting doesn’t erase His goodness.

It reveals it.

Sometimes slowly.

Sometimes only in hindsight.

But always faithfully.

As an FDN Practitioner, I deeply believe in stewarding the bodies God has entrusted to us. We pursue healing opportunities. We seek wise counsel. We ask good questions. We care well for our bodies because they belong to Him.

But stewardship has never been about controlling the outcome.

It has always been about faithfulness.

There is still another layer to uncover in my own story.

There are still questions I don’t yet have answers to.

There are still prayers I continue to pray.

Yet I find myself returning to something I heard a pastor say years ago:

“Seek His face before you seek His hand.”

That doesn’t mean we stop praying for healing.

It doesn’t mean we stop investigating.

It doesn’t mean we stop stewarding.

It simply reminds us that God’s greatest gift has never been symptom relief.

His greatest gift has always been Himself.

 

So what do we while we wait? 

We don’t stop stewarding.

We don’t stop praying.

We don’t stop seeking wisdom.

But neither do we make healing our greatest pursuit.

We behold Him.

Because what we behold…

shapes what we become.

As we fix our eyes upon Christ, worship begins to replace worry.

Trust begins to replace striving.

Hope quietly takes root again.

Years ago, my pastor’s wife shared something I’ve never forgotten:

“The seasons of suffering wring the worship from our hearts.”

I’ve discovered that’s true.

Not because suffering is good.

But because Christ is.

When so much is stripped away…

Deep cries out to Deep.

And we discover that the One we’ve been seeking has been holding us all along.

One day, the waiting will end.

One day, every disease will be gone.

Every scar redeemed.

Every broken body restored.

Every tear wiped away.

On that day, faith will become sight.

But until then…

We wait.

Not with resignation.

Not with despair.

But with hope.

Because we know the character of the One we’re waiting for.

Friend, if you’re in a season of waiting today—whether for healing, restoration, direction, reconciliation, or answers—may I encourage you to do something simple this week.

Take a few moments and remember.

Look back.

Read an old journal.

Reflect on answered prayers.

Recall the ways God has carried you.

Because remembering His Hesed, His faithful loyal love yesterday gives us courage to trust Him today.

His goodness has not changed.

His loyal love has not failed.

And neither has His promise.

“Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord.”

One of the greatest joys of my work is helping people faithfully steward the bodies God has entrusted to them while keeping their eyes fixed on Christ. If your health journey has left you with more questions than answers, I’d be honored to walk alongside you as we thoughtfully pursue healing opportunities together—always remembering that our greatest hope has never been found in perfect health, but in our perfectly faithful Savior.

Steward faithfully. Seek wisdom. Worship continually. Hope confidently. Christ is faithful. Always.