Who Do You Trust in the Waiting?

by Amy Schmitz Ruiz

“The Lord is good to everyone who trusts in Him, so it is best for us to wait in patience—to wait for Him to save us—and it is best to learn this patience in our youth.” –Lamentations 3:25-27 (Good News Translation)

Everyone goes through seasons of waiting. I remember as a child that I couldn’t wait to grow up and be able to stay up late enough to watch the Cosby Show. Then, it was being old enough to drive; to graduate from high school, and then from college. There was waiting for the right spouse, the right job, the end of some difficult trials, and the list goes on. I don’t know many people to whom waiting comes easy; however, some seem to wait things out better than others. The most important factor in waiting appears to be in whom we are trusting during the waiting period.

Our ten-year-old son often humbles me with his ability to wait patiently for those things he so desperately wants. Before we moved back to San Diego four years ago, we promised him that he could have a cat once we got settled in. It was not an easy transition, and it took us three years to be “settled” enough to finally get our precious cat. He would pray every night for a cat and sometimes had tears in the waiting…but he didn’t complain, neither did he second-guess the promise of a cat. Why? It was because he trusted in the ones who had made the promise. If a child can trust so completely in his parents for a cat, why do I struggle with trusting in the King of Kings and Lord of Lords who has promised to take care of all things that concern me? Why do I struggle to wait patiently for those things the Lord has promised?

As a family we started reading through the Bible back in January 2019, and we have read one to two chapters every day since. This past week we found ourselves in Lamentations, chapter 3, when verses 25-27 in particular stood out: “The Lord is good to everyone who trusts in Him, so it is best for us to wait in patience—to wait for Him to save us—and it is best to learn this patience in our youth.”

After reading these verses, we began to reflect with our sons on this season of waiting that our family has experienced over these past four years, since moving back to the United States after nine years on the mission field in Honduras. Our family has a list of things we have been waiting for: a house, a car, mountain bikes, a vacation, etc. But the biggest thing has been for my husband’s business to take off where we could have more stability and I could leave my job. We know we are trusting in a faithful God who promises to take care of His children, and without a doubt He has repeatedly proved His faithfulness. However, it can be so hard to wait patiently! After four years of long hours and few successes, we can finally see the business making huge strides. We are seeing the manifestation of something only our Heavenly Father could do!

Many times we’ve had to go back to remember why God brought us to San Diego and recall the times when we had His assurance that we are where He wants us to be. Along the way, the Lord has kept us encouraged with answered prayers, miracles of provision, and times where only He could lift our countenances. These things along the way help us with our patience, but it is easy to slip into worry. Our sons have been a critical part of this remembering process and keeping our eyes focused on trusting in God. Sometimes, I’ve worried about how our kids would weather the difficulties we’ve faced, but then I see them at their young ages learning this lesson of trusting and waiting patiently and marvel at their insights to the situation. And then this verse comes in telling us how it is “best to learn this patience in our youth.” I’m glad to be learning this lesson in my forties and thank God that my kids can learn this lesson even earlier in life.

Whatever you may be facing, I pray you can keep in the forefront of your mind the One in whom we trust! He is faithful and good! As we wait patiently, we can expect that God will bless us even more than we could ever imagine.