I would have lost heart, unless I had believed That I would see the goodness of the Lord In the land of the living. Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord! – Psalm 27:13,14
Waiting on God can be difficult. The constant movement between anticipation and disappointment causes anxiety. But there is growth in the waiting.
C.S. Lewis spoke about times of waiting in the hallway and trying doors of opportunity. He suggested that we would gain something in the waiting and that we must never stop trying doors.
“But you must regard it as waiting, not as camping. You must keep on praying for light; and, of course, even in the hall, you must begin trying to obey the rules which are common to the whole house. And above all you must be asking which door is the true one; not which pleases you best by its paint and panelling. In plain language, the question should never be: ‘Do I like that kind of service?’ but ‘Are these doctrines true: is holiness here? Does my conscience move me towards this? Is my reluctance to knock at this door due to my pride, or my mere taste, or my personal dislike of this particular door-keeper?’
When you have reached your own room, be kind to those who have chosen different doors and to those who are still in the hall. If they are wrong they need your prayers all the more; and if there are your enemies, then you are under orders to pray for them. That is one of the rules common to the whole house.”
Stay strong in your waiting, don’t lose heart, but allow God to show you something new. Our hope is that we will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living and He will strengthen us.