How can we have wisdom and faith to wait on the Lord?
Betsy O’Callaghan, LMFT

How can we have wisdom and faith to wait on the Lord, to trust in Him when all around us our world is being turned upside down? One of the blessings I am seeing in the midst of so much uncertainty is that when we make time to stop and draw close to the Lord, He hears the cry of our heart and delivers us in ways we could never anticipate.

Look at the story of Mary and Martha from Luke 10:38-41. It starts off saying that Martha welcomed Jesus and His disciples into her home. She wanted Jesus to be there and she wanted to be a good hostess to Him and the men with Him. But she got so caught up in all that entailed that she was missing out on what was important. Can you relate to what she was going through? It is easy to get caught up in the details and become overwhelmed with them and lose sight of the deeper meaning and purpose. With all of the media announcements and updates about this virus there are times when it can be hard to stop and listen for what God is doing, to sit at Jesus feet like Mary did and choose what is best.

An author I have just been introduced to is Rebecca Lyons. She has a book called Rhythms of Renewal which I am looking forward to reading in full. In it she talks about how she dealt with anxiety and stress by focusing on four life-giving rhythms. The first two deal with what you bring into your life, and the last two talk about your output.


The first one is Rest which reminds me of Mary’s choice to sit and rest at the feet of Jesus. This needs to be intentional and frequent. We need to create sabbath days and times to draw near to God, to be strengthened by His unfailing love, and to listen for His wisdom and rest in His peace and plan. The second thing she talks about is Restore which is making time to care for our bodies and give ourselves what is needed for our health and well-being. Too many times we push ourselves to perform without giving our bodies the fuel we need, like sleep and good nutrition.

When we do these first two and take care of letting the Lord give us rest and restore our bodies to health, we are filled and are able to focus on the last two which involve the giving of ourselves.  I am part of a zoom Bible study on Monday mornings where we study God’s Word and pray for and encourage one another.

This has been so helpful and encouraging to Connect with other women who are seeking to grow in the Lord. It may be difficult to find that in our world with all of the social distancing but ask the Lord to provide those connections which will help renew and strengthen you. The last rhythm which she talks about is to Create. What brings you joy? What are you passionate and excited about? Find a way to do those things. Explore areas that bring you life and research ways you can do them. Pray about it and ask God to reveal the desires of your heart. He is not limited in His thinking and He provides for us in ways that are beyond our wildest dreams.

In closing there is a verse from John 10:10 which says, “A thief is only there to steal and kill and destroy. I came so that they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of.”

The Message

Our enemy, the devil, wants to destroy and diminish us during all of this craziness, yet God’s promise still holds true. Christ has come so we can have an abundant life, even in the midst of the Coronavirus. What is He doing in your life right now? How does He want to strengthen you and give you the desires of your heart? He promises to work all things for our good and His glory. Let us sit and listen for His direction and move forward with confidence standing on His promises and filled with His love.

Betsy O’Callaghan, LMFT