Lessons from God’s Waiting Room: Trusting His Faithfulness in Uncertainty

“Be Still and Know that I am God.”
Psalm 46:10(a)

It was one of those moments when I wished I had a “fast-forward” button for my life. I sat in the sterile room waiting for the surgeon to arrive. On the tray table next to me were needles, scalpels and gauze. I could feel my sympathetic nervous system screaming at me to flee. I touched the lump on my upper arm and reminded myself it needed to be extracted.

The fact that my dad’s cancer began in the same spot on his arm prompted me to fear. My mind wrestled with the necessity of this procedure, but I knew a biopsy was the only means to determine if this tumor was malignant or benign.  

My anxiety increased as I waited. Although I knew pain was coming, I was almost relieved when the surgeon picked up that scalpel and instructed me to “be still.”

Be still. It’s a short imperative, a seemingly simple command. Yet at times it feels impossible and unnatural. We despise those words because we’re usually directed to obey them just prior to either being inflicted with pain or an imminent threat. Like before blood is drawn or a broken bone is reset. If it doesn’t precede pain, it’s often stated as a warning to do the opposite of what our natural instincts prompt us to do. Like staying still when an angry hornet lands on us. The only way we’re able to follow this instruction is if we trust the one initiating the pain and believe that this command is for our good.

Trusting the One Who Commands

Had a person appearing to be an assassin entered my waiting room, picked up that knife and told me to “be still” you better believe I’d be following that instinct to flee instead of obey. However, there’s a difference between a surgeon with a scalpel and an assassin with a knife. Both will inflict pain- but one will do it with an intent to harm and the other with an intent to heal.

When God instructs us to “be still” we know His intention for us is good and He is trustworthy. Although it’s hard to surrender our efforts, there are times when it is necessary to do so. But “God’s waiting room” isn’t intended to produce anxiety. It’s intended to strengthen our faith.

Psalm 46 contains that well known verse commanding us to “be still.” There are two imperatives in this Psalm. The first is “Come, behold the works of the Lord” (8a). And the second is “Be still and know that I am God (10a). Verse 10 tells us what to do considering all the other verses that tell us why we are able to obey that command. And the imperative in verse 8 tells us how we are able to obey the command in verse 10. This Psalm is a great example for us to follow when faced with situations beyond our control where the only choice we have is to surrender and wait. If you find yourself in “God’s waiting room” today, here are three things to remember based on the words of Psalm 46.

Believing and Beholding

Pain, danger and trials in this life are not indicative of God’s absence. Like many Psalmists, this author is surrounded by trouble. God does not prevent us from being placed in situations we dislike. He doesn’t promise us a life free of pain. But what He does promise us through every page of Scripture is His presence with us. That is the most unfathomable, comforting truth I know. Everything in this life is unstable and uncertain except this truth. His presence is His gift to us, and it will sustain us through every trial, every sorrow, every situation.  

God instructs us to “behold the works of the Lord.” This is how we are able to
“be still.” The scar on my arm is a constant reminder of God’s faithfulness. By God’s grace, the biopsy results were benign. I waited seven days for those results. While I waited, I recounted God’s faithfulness in my life. I clung to the truth that He would be with me regardless of the results. This situation, like many others, first required me to “be still” but has now moved to the category of “beholding” the great works of the Lord. This is how we learn to trust God. We remember His constant faithfulness.

God’s instruction to “be still” is a faith-building exercise. There is always purpose in the waiting. God intended it to be a discipline of surrender and trust. He is trustworthy. His intentions for us are good. And He is also the sovereign God who holds all things together. He may allow mountains to crumble around you, but He is working out every detail of your life for your good and for His glory. Trust Him.

In Your Life

Are you currently facing a situation where you wish you had a “fast-forward” button? Begin a journal today recounting the past “works of the Lord” in your life. Remember and recount His faithfulness. Then cling to that attribute of His character while you wait.

We Recommend

Streams in the Dessert is a daily devotional that encourages us of God’s goodness and tender-loving care for us on the mountain tops and in the valleys. God is always at work in our lives and His presence sustains us.

The Promise is His Presence by Glenna Marshall is a book of encouragement about the gift of God’s presence in our lives. He doesn’t promise us good health or a life of convenience but His Presence is the most valuable gift of all. Glenna’ testimony is vulnerable, raw and beautiful.

Let’s Connect

Brenda is the Director of Women’s Ministry at her church in Casper, Wyoming. She has a passion for helping women navigate the seasons of life that are both bitter and sweet by knowing the truth found in God’s Word and clinging to Jesus Christ. If you’d like to read more from Brenda, you can find her at Women of the Way, on Instagram, or on Facebook.