Waiting Patiently on the Lord
1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18
Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
As I look back, I can most definitely say that I have had a fairly even-scaled life, with no dramatic or extreme experiences that I can journal in the book of my journey as a believer. The strengthening of my faith and trust have however been (and continues to be) built through many periods of waiting.
Almost all my major milestones in life were marked with delays- right from high school & college admissions to my first job, wedding and many more; all later than friends, cousins, neighbors, fellow church members, etc. These were the times I used to try my best to ‘be still’ and ‘wait patiently on the Lord’. But alas, there was fretting, disappointment, and not to forget large doses of anxiety added by extended family and ‘well-wishers’!
It was during one of those periods of ‘Why me, Lord, why again... how long, O Lord?’, that God led me to 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 and helped me understand it afresh. I started praying for a thankful heart and a joyful attitude during that difficult time, that did not neglect the other aspects of my life, my responsibilities and relationships. I was praying that they be not just desirable actions, but as Paul clearly states, God’s will for my life. That’s serious business, isn’t it?!
Looking back, I can now clearly see that in all those trying times, my Lord was lovingly and graciously walking beside me and at the end of the wait and in His perfect time, he blessed me with outcomes that were far more generous than I could have ever dreamt of or achieved with my own planning or efforts!
When God led me to what was to become my corporate profession in HR (again after a complete derailing of my aspirations), I slowly began to realize that this development of patience and gratitude in me would soon become my strengths in my role. I would have colleagues who approached me with complaints, and then through those conversations ended up sharing personal life crises, relationship concerns and anxieties with me. And I wondered – am I to be just their HR point of contact when they have shared so much of their life with me? No other answer than that the Lord was using the lessons he taught me to encourage an environment of empathy and gratitude– through the good times and the difficult times!
There are times when I still struggle to rejoice, pray and be thankful in ALL circumstances. But I know that it is only through Christ Jesus that I can come anywhere close to obeying this will of God in my life. I have learnt that the essence is to have a heart and mind filled with the consciousness of God’s presence and to have the habit of referring everything to him. To always let his light shine into every corner of my heart and every detail of my life - however insignificant, however grand, however absorbing, however secular, however disappointing - through life’s big milestones and equally through all my daily duties.