Josh Lookabaugh
Our society is one where 'we need it now.' We are always on the run. Sometimes we need to slow down and think of who God is. We treat Him like He’s a genie granting wishes. When we wait on the Lord, we are deciding to totally depend on Him, and allowing Him to decide the terms, including the timing. We might ask Him for help in a situation, and He may decide to answer the request days later, months later, or even years later. God works at His own pace. His timing is perfect. Isaiah 40:31 says, “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”
When we are going through a trial, we might see the outcome, but we need to wait on the Lord. Our son, Camden, was diagnosed with Leukemia at two and a half years old. He went through four and a half years of intense treatment and still has a lasting piece of his cancer with him today. Of course, there were many nights we prayed to the Lord asking Him to heal Camden at different parts of his treatment. We had to wait and trust Him. When we wait on the Lord, we are letting Him take the wheel knowing His way is best. “As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is tried; he is a buckler to all those that trust in him.” (Psalms 18:30)
Waiting is not easy, but it involves relying on and trusting in the Lord. I am not the best at waiting. I wake up most days and have trouble doing things that most people take for granted. Early-onset Parkinson’s has robbed me of so much, but it hasn’t robbed me of my hope that the Lord can still do something. I know He works miracles, and we have seen that in our lives. I can’t say it is fun not being able to swallow food, speak clearly, and often times not being able to walk, but the Lord is making me appreciate things in my waiting time that many others may never get the chance to. I get to appreciate time with my family. How many people get to be with the ones that they love day in and day out? Yes, we are not perfect by any means, and we use a lot of humor and timeouts to get through the really hard things, but I feel blessed to have a wife and son that care about me and make my waiting easier.
Waiting on the Lord involves being at rest in the Lord. When we wait or when we are still, we stop following our own agenda. We stop doing things by our own power. Instead, we rely totally on the Lord. I have seen countless doctors wanting to be healed and waiting for my body to be whole and function properly, but that might never come. That doesn’t mean that I have given up, but I am trying to give more things over to the Lord instead of constantly trying to battle Him for control.
He chose to heal our son and for that, we are forever grateful! My fight seems to be different, but in my waiting, I still believe God is the one who knows what He is doing, and I need to rely on Him. If there is a battle you are facing and the wait seems endless, please take heart in knowing God can answer your request and end the wait at any time or He may choose to use the wait as a blessing like I am finding in my life.