Love is Patient - Devotional

“But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31).

Written by: Krista Collins

Such a beautiful promise. Strength and vitality for the one who will wait -- the one who keeps their eyes fixed on the promise of God. But, how will you be found in the waiting? Will God find you faithful in your waiting or frantically trying to fix what you do not understand?

Often, we found ourselves deep in the woods of “where are you God?,” with feet secure on the promises we find in His word, yet, the enemy shouts “Where is your God now?” It is the relentless question that everyone faces in the valley of confusion. The only way out of the woods is through. We are not promised an escape route. 

Psalm 23:4 is our map, and it shows us our way out is “through the valley of the shadow of death.” The “shadow of death” may not be an actual deathbed. It is often the death of what we thought would be. The place of letting go of how you would write the story -- letting go of what you know and how you thought life would be, of trusting what you don’t understand and knowing that God has a much better plan. And the way to get there is walking through the hard moments of life.

So how will you walk? 2 Corinthians 5:7 shows us how: “For we walk by faith, not by sight.” So we can walk scared, and we can walk confused. We can walk lonely, and we can walk angry. We can walk with questions, and we can walk with tears. Just keep walking, child of God. The way out is through!

It is the beautiful blind steps of faith that teach us the sweetest lessons. It is trusting in the unknown that strengthens us and prepares us to rise above. These are the lessons of grace. This is the holy ground. The place of becoming more like Jesus. The place where faith and compassion are built strong. It’s the deep woods of wonder as to where God is, yet, knowing all along His promise to “never leave or forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5).

Jesus himself faced these times. As He hung on the cross and cried out in a loud voice, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Jesus had to go through the crucifixion and all the pain and shame it brought. The son of God faced far more than we will ever be asked to.

Jesus did that because He trusted the Father’s plan. He knew it was best. We too, can trust the Father’s plan and walk through. Just keep walking.