“Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.” (Psalm 27:14 ESV)
Well, Friend, welcome to the first-ever guest post at The YES Adventure! My husband, Tom, recently wrote this for a newsletter at the Syracuse Rescue Mission where he is a chaplain and we thought it might encourage you. Be blessed, Friend!
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When my wife, Cathleen, and I knew God had called us to leave the church we were pastoring in Port Jervis, NY, and move to Syracuse, there was one thing missing… A job!
This past January we began the process of looking for a place to live knowing we were moving in June. But there was one thing still missing… A job! I knew my next assignment would be as a full-time chaplain. But where?!? And by the way, did you know you can’t buy a house or rent an apartment without proof of future income? So, we waited…looked…prayed… and waited.
The scripture says to wait. It also tells us how to wait. “Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.” (Psalm 27:14 ESV) What?!? Wait patiently?? Really? Well…OK. And so, we did. I’ll admit that Cathleen often waited better than me.
In my years of following Jesus and being in ministry, I have learned a couple of things: God is never early and never late. He is always on time. God is never in a rush. And in the waiting, God is doing His best work in my heart to learn to trust Him.
This past February, the night before we were to go look at some houses, Cathleen and I were in the hotel room, and I was scrolling through Instagram when an email popped up in my inbox from Indeed.com. It was an Associate Chaplain position at the Syracuse Rescue Mission. My excited and grateful response? “No God. Not that and not there.” Now, don’t judge me! I wasn’t familiar with the Rescue Mission, nor did I know that “We Put Love Into Action.” I quickly asked God’s forgiveness because He knows what’s best for me and I want to do His Will always. I applied… and… waited… patiently.
In that time of waiting God worked on my heart and I was truly excited when I received the email to arrange an interview with Chaplain Yulon. I was offered the position and I bet you think “they lived happily ever after.” Not quite.
We were excited when we found and purchased a house in Baldwinsville. We closed in early June and hoped to move in during the summer. But it was a house that needed a lot of work. So began another process of waiting patiently. Cathleen’s sister, who lives in Cortland, NY, offered to let us stay with her. Who would have guessed it would be four months and counting? Yet our time with her has been a wonderful relationship-building opportunity. And my adjustment to Rescue Mission life has been a blessing. All in the waiting.
Friend, if you are in a waiting season, I want to encourage you, “For since the world began,
no ear has heard, and no eye has seen a God like you, who works for those who wait for him!” (Isaiah 64:4 NLT) Don’t just hang in there. Trust God. He has got you and He’s working on your heart, just like He is working on mine. God bless you.
Key Question: How do you handle a season of waiting?
A Scripture to Consider: “Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.” (Psalm 27:14 ESV)
A YES Challenge: Where might God be asking you to wait right now? What would it look like for you to “wait patiently for the Lord?”
Prayer: Dear Father, I don’t like to wait, but I know that sometimes waiting is exactly what You want me to do! In the waiting, help me to keep my eyes on You. Help me to wait patiently with expectation that You are working all things together for my good and Your glory. Amen.
