Waiting (Mirror book study post 1)

I didn't think that Mirror was going to be about waiting. I mean, if someone had suggested that theme when I first had the idea of my adventure-based, dragon-filled, returning empress Snow White, I would have been baffled.
But then, as usual, the story took shape (as it was always meant to) to grow with me through the circumstances I found myself in. And while, yes, it retained its original magic, dragons, swoon-worthy huntsman, and most of the plot, it also became a story of waiting. And it became a lesson on how to wait well.

In her story, Reina finds herself in unfamiliar territory (both literally and metaphorically). Her life is pulled from underneath her feet, the things she thought she knew suddenly much less certain. And as she finds herself in this new uncomfortable position, one of the things she wants most is clear guidance. Reina wants the skies to open so Adonia Himself can point her to the right path. She wants answers to all of her questions, and she wants them before she even finishes her prayer.
Unsurprisingly (given how this gift of writing seems to work for me), I found myself in somewhat similar circumstances as I wrote Reina's story. I had choices in front of me- choices I didn't even know how to begin making. I had thoughts of possible futures that made the things in the present feel suddenly unsteady. I had questions that piled up by the minute. And I wanted all my answers and directions before I even finished my prayers.
But regardless of personal preferences, it seemed that both Reina and I were stuck waiting for the time being. Which, of course, presented the opportunity to learn what it looks like to wait well and wait with God. And as I began to search through God's Word for answers (since He did not seem inclined to start writing clear directions across the sky for me), there were a couple patterns that stood out to me when it came to waiting.
First, it seemed that every time I found another passage talking about waiting, it was connected to hope and expectation. From Psalm 130:5, where the psalmist writes, "my soul waits, and in His word I hope," to Paul's statement that "we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness" (Galatians 5:5). The reason for this pattern, I think, is fairly simple- we wait with hope because we always have hope ahead of us. Even if things don't turn out the way we want, even if the answer is the opposite of what we want to hear, even if waiting makes everything feel unsteady or uncertain... the hope of salvation in Christ remains the same. And we wait with eager expectation because the same God who provides such wonderful hope is not a God who is absent. He is present and active in our lives, and He acts in the ways and times that are best. In Isaiah 64:4, He is described as the God "who acts for those who wait for Him." Granted, His action may not be what we expected, or even what we initially wanted, but we can trust that it will be good because He is good.
And focusing on the character of God brings us to the next pattern I noticed: waiting well is about waiting with and for God, not waiting for Him to do whatever we want. Now, I know this may be fairly obvious, but sometimes we forget these things (and also I was really going through some stuff at this point, so give me a break). But as I kept reading around this theme, I found verse after verse that very clearly pointed to the idea of waiting on God, for God, with God. And isn't that the beauty of this waiting? How fortunate are we that we do not wait in silence and loneliness, but instead have the privilege of waiting with the God who spoke the Universe into being, who knows every desire and challenge before we even speak it,  who "heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds" (Psalm 147:3). We miss so much when we try to rush to the answers or when we get caught up in waiting for what we want at the expense of being in the presence of the One we need.
So if I were to wrap all of this up in something a little more concise, I've concluded that a large part of waiting well is recognizing waiting as a blessing. That doesn't mean it's going to be easy or lacking in any kind of pain or difficulty. Both Reina and I had long paths in front of us, and having this realization did not make the waiting period any shorter. But it does mean that there is beauty in the opportunity to wait with the God who loves you, who is working for the greatest good, and who is faithful to make what is hoped for reality.