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Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. -Psalm 37:7 (NIV)

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. -Psalm 34:18 (NIV)

“Not yet,” I’ve told my son when he’s waiting and waiting for something. He often doesn’t know or understand why he has to wait, but I do, and will wait for the right time to give him what he needs or desires. During and afterwards, I try to explain to him why the wait was necessary.

The Lord has been whispering this to me for some time now as I go through tough times. The months of trials have been a relentless roller coaster, with occasional glimpses He’s given me of how far back the shaky foundations atop which today’s tribulations were built. (They go back decades!)

After the Lord has done His will by refining and carrying me through this, I will share it here. In the meantime, I share on a daily basis what He shares with me as I journey.

What’s amazing is that the Lord sees our entire lives in hindsight. He knows all the possible things we can do, and which path we will choose. And He sees the wondrous things He has waiting for us ahead…especially the life to come after this temporary pilgrimage we take.

Psalm 37 covers this assurance:

Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. -Psalm 37:3-7

What I pray for in the moment, while we walk this earth, is that the steps we commit in faith are not of hardheartedness (doing it my way in spite of the Lord’s nudging in a different direction), but that our steps are aligned with His will. At least for me, to do this, I have to find a quiet place…or make one with headphones and brown noise…and let my own thoughts fall away so I can hear His again.

And when my heart can hear Him again, I don’t bother asking the Lord why, but instead what I should learn from the moment, which is seemingly lost in a sea of similar moments in my timeline.

His answers vary in detail about those moments, but they all point to the same underlying concept that He has told His children for millennia: “Trust in Me and My promises.

After all, isn’t that the whole point of being a true believer?

Hang in there. He is with you. He hears your cries and groans and desires of your heart, and if you will only commit your way to the Lord and trust in Him, He will carry you to the other side, to a place far more beautiful and rewarding than you could have reached on your own.