What to Remember When the Wait Drags On

by Lois Flowers

My family didn’t have a television when I was growing up. This was in the 1970s and 80s, long before the Internet transformed life as we know it. Sans TV, we kept up with what was going on in the world mostly by reading the newspaper.

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I loved our local paper, and never more so than at Christmastime. Every year, the Kansas City Star reprinted an essay by the late humorist Bill Vaughn titled “Tell Me a Story of Christmas” that choked me up just a bit, every time I read it.

I’ve always cherished all the traditions that come with the holidays, which might be why this somewhat sappy little piece holds such a special place in my heart. (The Star still runs it every year, by the way, though these days it looks more like a graphic novel than an essay.)

Now that I have a blog, I figured it might be nice to start a literary tradition of my own at Christmastime. So this week, I return to a piece I originally posted last December—a devotional I wrote way back in 2001 when Randy and I were in the midst of what seemed like a never-ending season of waiting.

It might not feature the nostalgic prose of the Bill Vaughn essay, but it means a lot to me and perhaps it will encourage you too.

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I was setting the table for our holiday meal, lost in thought about how this day would likely be the last Thanksgiving Randy and I would spend as a family of two. Sometime next summer or early fall, we will fly to China to pick up the precious—albeit as-yet-unidentified—little girl who will become our first child.

From then on, holidays at our house will never be the same again.

A phrase from a Christmas song playing on the CD player in the next room interrupted my reverie. “Oh, we are not forgotten, we are ever in God’s sight,” singer/songwriter Ginny Owens crooned, “And He will come to us when the time is right.”

He will come to us when the time is right.

Have you ever stopped to think about what that really means? God didn’t flip a coin to decide when He should come to earth as a baby. Far from it. The Messiah arrived on the scene at the exact point in history when the whole world was ready for something new. He came when all the pieces—a common language, a highly sophisticated transportation system, religious freedom, etc.—were in place to facilitate the spread of the Gospel message.

These elements were implemented by the architects of the Roman Empire, of course, but all were overseen by a sovereign Savior.

He came to us when the time was right to fulfill His purposes, His divine plan.

Fast forward 2,000 years. In an era characterized by an incessant desire for instant gratification, it’s easy to get impatient with God and wish that He would just hurry up and answer our prayers. I’ve experienced such impatience many times during years of infertility and now even more so as we wait for our daughter.

I just wish she would get here faster.

But my restlessness is buffered by the knowledge that every delay and every month of waiting is somehow built into God’s overall timetable to ensure that we receive the right little girl at just the right time. He follows His schedule, not mine. And, as He so wonderfully demonstrated through the events we celebrate at Christmas, His schedule works—every time.

I don’t know what you might be waiting for during this holiday season. Maybe it’s a new job, a husband, the restoration of a broken relationship, or a positive pregnancy test. Perhaps it’s the salvation of a loved one, physical or emotional healing, or the return of a prodigal child.

Whatever the case, waiting is difficult. It’s fraught with disappointment, frustration and sadness. But it’s also a part of life. And we can either let it steal our joy or we can choose to look for reasons to rejoice while we wait.

As the saying goes, God is never in a hurry, but He’s always on time. His answers may not always match our expectations, but they will be revealed to us when the time is right.

Merry Christmas to you and yours!

Lois Flowers

P.S. I’m linking up this week with Grace & Truth, Kelly Balarie at Purposeful Faith, Jennifer Dukes Lee at #TellHisStory, Holley Gerth at Coffee for Your Heart.

Leave a Comment

12 comments

Ann December 27, 2015 - 7:34 am

What a wonderful story you shared…As the saying goes, truly “Patience is a virtue!” I too have waited and am still waiting for answers to certain prayers – for some I have been literally waiting for years. God does have a reason for His timing, something He may not reveal to us, but we wait faithfully on Him, for He is faithful and He knows what is best.

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Lois Flowers December 27, 2015 - 8:36 am

The waiting is hard, isn’t it? But you’re right … God is faithful and He knows what’s best. As the old hymn says, “Oh, for grace to trust Him more.” Thank you for your kind words today, Ann. I’m so glad you stopped by!

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Mary McCully December 23, 2015 - 8:14 am

I well remember that writing as well as the wait, Lois. We will always remember your sweet family as we hang a little picture ornament of Lily on our tree. It is from the year she was with us for gingerbread day.
Love you, One and All!

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Lois Flowers December 23, 2015 - 8:48 am

Mary, it is such a blessing to see your name here today. Merry Christmas to you and Bill … we love you and miss you!

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Rachel Britton December 22, 2015 - 5:43 pm

God’s timing is always perfect but sometimes it’s hard to remember and wait. Enjoyed your post. We didn’t have a television growing up either! So that caught my attention.

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Lois Flowers December 23, 2015 - 8:58 am

No TV either, huh? And I thought I was the only one! 🙂 I’m so glad our paths crossed today, Rachel!

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Carly December 22, 2015 - 4:48 pm

Great post. It is hard to wait, especially when we can’t see the reason why God is making us wait or is not answering our prayers as we want, but his timing is always perfect.

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Lois Flowers December 23, 2015 - 8:57 am

Waiting would be so much easier if we knew why, wouldn’t it? 🙂 Thanks for stopping by, Carly … I hope you have a very merry Christmas!

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Trudy December 22, 2015 - 3:50 pm

The waiting can be so hard, but yes, God is always on time. Thank you for this encouragement, Lois. And sometimes His answer is no, and that’s hard to accept sometimes, but His ways are higher than ours and He always has our good in mind. May you have a peace-filled Christmas!

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Lois Flowers December 23, 2015 - 8:53 am

I agree, Trudy. Remembering that He always has our good in mind is a huge comfort when His answer is hard to understand. Blessings to you today!

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Christa December 22, 2015 - 6:54 am

He came when the time was right. I love that. He knows when the time is right, and for reasons that I cannot fathom. Thank you for the beautiful devotion. Merry Christmas!

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Lois Flowers December 22, 2015 - 9:26 am

Thanks, Christa! And a blessed Christmas to you too!

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