Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in Him. Psalm 62:5

This verse stirs such a desire in my soul. I want the kind of patience that David expressed here, a waiting filled with hope. The practice of waiting with all that I am is a goal worth striving for.

Let me tell you a story about Natty, my friend’s beautiful firstborn child. Her mother, wanting to give her baby girl the best, had nursed Natty from the time she was born. Then the day came for Natty’s mom to go back to work. It was a difficult separation, as you can imagine, for both of them. Mom lovingly prepared bottles filled with precious breastmilk for Natty to drink from during the day—but Natty wanted nothing to do with that bottle. No matter how hungry she was, Natty refused to let anything be a substitute for the closeness and nourishment she desired only from her mother. She would actually go without eating until mom came home from work to nurse her. She must have been hungry—what baby wouldn’t be? But still, she held out. Knowing that her mother would come, baby Natty set her little heart (and hungry tummy) on waiting for what only mom could give her. Not until she heard the sound of her mother’s voice would she be willing to eat.

What a lesson this is for me. Baby Natty’s example reminds me of David’s hope and determination to wait on God and refuse to settle for anything other than what God had for him. It required discipline and strength to not give in or give up, but David knew that God alone could—and would—supply his needs.

Waiting isn’t easy, and for most of us, it doesn’t come naturally.

Oftentimes the wait is not just physical, it requires mental and spiritual patience to wait for what we can’t yet see. But God has already proven Himself to be faithful in any and every circumstance. He is trustworthy, His timing is perfect, and He does all things well.

Can I ask…for what are you waiting? Will you hold on with all that you are and trust God for what He has in store? Let’s not look to anyone or anything else to be a substitute for God.