I kept hearing the phrase “wait on the LORD” and reading it in Scripture, but I didn’t have a true, divine understanding of what it meant until I was put in a position that forced me to actually do it.

​I’ll start here—while I was out of town visiting family, my car was broken into, stolen, and found a couple of days later after a pretty bad wreck. My auto insurance declared it a total loss. That car was my sole source of transportation. Soon after, issues at my job became more and more apparent, ultimately leading to a forced resignation.

​I wasn’t prepared to leave. I didn’t know what life would look like for me. I was nervous, but I had received several confirmations from God that gave me the peace and comfort to take that step. Those confirmations let me know that He was with me, and that He would continue to be with me.

​Still, the natural reality set in: I was home. All day. No car. No job. And a teenage daughter to raise.

​I was getting rejected from jobs. Others, I never heard back from at all. I felt discouraged, stretched, and frustrated. There was crying. There was praying. Even my sleeping pattern shifted—going to sleep late at night, waking up later in the day, just feeling like I was wasting my days away.

​But then, something changed. I was continuing to pray—and yes, prayer is essential—but I realized there was more I needed to do. I felt spiritually depleted. Even though, I continued attending Bible study sessions and Sunday church services along with fellowshipping with brothers and sisters in Christ on Saturdays, I realized that I needed to spend time with God on my own as well.

​So, I began to focus intentionally on studying Scripture, applying the Word to my life, and sharing it with others. I found myself praising more and worshipping more as I wait on the LORD.

​Though my circumstances haven't changed, my perspective has. I began to see God’s hand in everything, including the smallest details of my life. I am grateful!

​Waiting on the LORD is not just sitting still and doing nothing. It is about preparing for what is to come.

Suffering is a part of life. It doesn't matter if you are a believer or not—we will all go through something. But what we do while we are going through it, matters.

—Morgan J. Nickles