By: Lisa Easterling 

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4: 6,7

I’ve been in many waiting rooms over the years, and few of those experiences were my idea of fun. Whether in a hospital, tax office, clinic, or the principal’s office, most of us tend to cringe at the thought of sitting there waiting, trying to find something productive to do to pass the time more quickly and distract the mind from all the what-ifs. People-watching and thumbing through cooking magazines can only do so much to calm our anxious hearts.

If those actual waiting rooms are bewildering, virtual waiting rooms are typically worse—those times when we are waiting for a decision, a verdict, an announcement, an answer. And it doesn’t help that all too often—at least in a physical sense—we wait in the unknown alone.

I have carried some hefty long-term prayers. Over the past few years, one specific prayer has threaded throughout my conversations with the Lord, and recently that prayer was answered with a solid Yes. To say that I am thrilled beyond words is a vast understatement. I am so grateful I could pop.

But since that yes came, I’ve been pondering a big question: Do I wait well? I would like to think I usually wait in quiet, trust, and faithfulness, but I admit that at times it has looked more like whining, anxiety, and fretfulness. What about you?

There are times when the heart longs for something so deeply that it can be hard to put into words. And then the waiting comes. The Enemy of our soul loves to use that time to his advantage, sneaking doubt and fear and ‘what ifs’ into our anxious mind and stirring unrest.

But this time felt different. While this was a prayer I’ve been praying since I learned it as a 10-year-old how to talk to Jesus, the frantic stirring in my heart and mind didn’t stick. In the place of unrest, I felt God’s beautiful peace settle over my soul with an assurance that passed understanding and guarded my heart from any chaos formed against me.

A key difference this time bears mention because I believe it played a major role in the calm: I wasn’t waiting alone. I couldn’t share details ahead of the decision, but I had sisters praying for me without even knowing the whole story. They listened, they prayed, and they checked up on me with words of encouragement and hope. The waiting room isn’t nearly as lonely when we’re waiting together.

Are you a lady in waiting? I want to encourage you with the assurance that you don’t have to wait alone. This could be a perfect time to gather some praying sisters around you as that, my beautiful friend, is a recipe for peace.