What a Ride

Then you reach the top. The car tilts, getting ready to plummet down the track. You know it is going to happen fast. It’s going to go one way or the other.

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Waiting for the next chapter in life is sometimes like heading to the top of a roller coaster. It’s long; it’s slow. You’re anticipating the wild ride that follows. Your heart is pounding; you’re in slow motion. It feels like it’s taking an hour to reach the top. Your stomach is already preparing to do turns. The ground is looking farther and farther away so you know that you’re making progress, but the top still looks so far out of reach. Every sound that coaster car is making magnifies. The gasps of the people around you and the squeals about what is to come pierce your ears. God! How long do I have to endure the suspense?

Then you reach the top. The car tilts, getting ready to plummet down the track. You know it is going to happen fast. It’s going to go one way or the other. A rush of adrenaline and a blast of energy or your stomach is going to hurt. You may even pass out. You think you know it will be okay, but what if it isn’t?  The suspense is driving you crazy. Why am I on this ride?

Waiting on news or something new to happen in life can be one of the hardest things we do. I am impatient a lot of times, and I do not like to wait. It has been months of crawling to the top, and finally, here we are. Months have felt like years. There have been times where my stomach has already started to flip flop. Not knowing what is to come is the hardest part. Once we start heading down, it’s all good because we can work with that. We can let it out, and we know what we are dealing with.

Today as I write, we are currently on the top of that roller coaster anticipating that wild drop. I have no idea which way this is going to go. I have peace, though. I have God sitting in that seat next to me holding my hand. I know, either way, we are going to be okay.

There are many verses in Psalms that talk about waiting. I think God knew we as humans would have a hard time in this area, so He made sure to emphasize the fact that He knows all and that we can be confident in Him that, whatever happens, it’s going to be for good.

Isaiah 30:18, ESV

“Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him.”

Isaiah 40:31, ESV

“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.”

I think sometimes God makes us wait because, in the waiting, our faith has a chance to grow. Sometimes our waiting is a test of our faith. God loves to show up big for us. When we are forced wait like Jairus did for God to come and things take a turn for the seemingly worst, God then has a chance to show us how ultimately powerful He is. Luke 8:50-56 Jesus told the people, “Stop wailing, she is not dead but asleep.” The people had a hard time believing this because in the physical, by all accounts, this girl was dead. When she stood up and was ready to eat, Jairus and his wife were, as the Bible says, “astonished.”

If you know the story of Lazarus, a similar thing happened. His sisters were upset and in mourning. Now their brother had died, and Jesus was too late. In John 11:5, the Bible says Jesus loved Martha, her sister, and Lazarus, so He stayed where He was for two more days. And then later in the text in verse 14, Jesus tells His disciples plainly so that they would understand better what he was saying, “Lazarus is dead, and for your sake, I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe.”

Jesus has given us so many ways to believe. Why do we still find it so hard?  Time and time again, the Lord has come through for us. He has never failed us even if it seemed like He had. Things don’t always work out the way we think they will or should, but He tells us many times over that we can rest confidently knowing that He is always there with us and that He is always on time.

Let’s enjoy the ride. We ride roller coasters for enjoyment. Why stress about what is to come? Just enjoy the fact that when we get to the top, we are about to have an exhilarating ride and God will be right there to hold our hands and enjoy it with us.

 

 

Featured Image by Ilnur Kalimullin

The views and opinions expressed by Kingdom Winds Collective Members, authors, and contributors are their own and do not represent the views of Kingdom Winds LLC.

About the Author

Valerie Close has a passion of encouraging others with the truth from the word of God and her own personal experiences. She is faith-driven and a seeker of truth with a real heart and compassion for other people to come out on the other side with a new hope and revelation of Jesus Christ.