Hope in the Longhaul

Well, bless my boots and pass me one of them biscuits over here, friend. Now, you come right on over here on this ol’ front porch and set yourself right down for a lil’ ol’ spell. Goodness gracious, it’s a mighty good pleasure to have you stop by today. If you were any more welcome, the sunrise itself would’ve tipped its hat and said, “You’re right where you ought to be.” Psalm 27:14 says, “Wait on the Lord, be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart.” Another verse that deepens this truth is Lamentations 3:25 which says, “The Lord is good unto them that wait for Him.” Them two verses together make a mighty fine reminder that waiting ain’t never wasted. It’s plum holy ground.

Hannah knew all about that kind of waitin’. Year after year she carried the ache of barrenness while Peninnah poked at her pain like an ol’ onery woodpecker that found a loose board and refused to quit. Yet Hannah kept right on goin’ to Shiloh. First Samuel 1:7 tells us that she went every single year, even though it was the saddest day of her life. She worshiped while wounded. She prayed while pressured. She sought the Father’s face even though her problem followed her like a persistent ol’ goat that refused to wander off.

Now, friend, her situation didn’t get no worse. It just didn’t do no changin’ either. And sometimes that there’s even harder. You pray, you hope, you trust, and yet the same ol’ ache greets you every mornin’ like a lil’ ol’ rooster that insists on crowin’ before you’re ready. Hannah heard the same taunts year after year. She carried the same longin’ year after year. But the Father was workin’ behind the scenes. First Samuel 1 shows us that He allowed this season to git to deepenin’ her faith, not be destroyin’ it.

You’ve plum been in a place like that before, too. You keep right on believin’, but nothin’ seems to shift. Folks try to encourage you, like Elkanah did in verse 8, but their words land wrong and make the ache git even sharper. Yet Hannah kept right on worshipin’ the Lord. She kept right on waitin’ on the Lord. She kept right on trustin’ that the Father had good up ahead for her. And He sho’-nuff’ did. Her waitin’ wasn’t a punishment. It was real preparation.

Father, teach me to wait well. Strengthen my heart when nothing seems to change. Help me trust Your timing, Your goodness, and Your purpose in every season. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Alright now, there you have it, friend. Well, glory be and pass the grits, you’ve gotta let me send you off just right. Waitin’ may git to feelin’ a whole lot slower than an ol’ turtle crossin’ a muddy road, but the Father uses every single step. It plum steadies your faith the way a tall oak tree steadies the forest around it. It shapes your heart the way a gentle stream shapes the stones it touches. It prepares blessin’s that arrive fuller than you ever imagined. Walk into your day with courage, knowin’ He is workin’ even when you can’t see a single thing movin’.

With joy,

Gwen