We took one of our dogs to the vet yesterday and got some news we weren’t expecting. Sad news. Now we are just stuck in limbo, waiting on test results to see what the next steps are.

It’s hard, the waiting.

Isn’t that true of life in general? Waiting is hard. It’s in the waiting that we can sometimes feel that things are so desperate that they can’t possibly work out. Sometimes we even feel forgotten by God.

But the truth is, it’s in the waiting that God is doing His work on us. That’s when He is growing us, stretching us, molding us. That’s when we can begin to truly, deeply know Him in a way we never could without the waiting.

Without the waiting we probably wouldn’t slow down enough or have enough need to get to know Him on the level that I’m talking about. It’s a ‘my-life-depends-on-you-I-have-nothing-left’ kind of dependence. It’s a ‘you-are-my-only-hope’ kind of relationship.

And it’s beautiful and magnificent to know Him like this because He never disappoints. He always shows up with the peace and comfort that is needed. Even if we don’t get the answers we hope for, there is peace that only God can bring.

But sometimes it takes time to build that trust in Him, so the waiting may be necessary.

When we are in a season of waiting, it’s a time for us to dig in and do some work with God. It’s not meant to be an idle time to squander.

The next time you find yourself in the waiting, invite God to wait with you. You never know, it could turn out to be the ride of your life!