The wonder of waiting...

Can someone explain to me what the key to waiting is? Why is it so hard? Waiting...waiting...waiting...does anyone ever master the art of waiting?!?! I am trying to decide which is harder-- knowing the children we are waiting for or not knowing anything about him/her? When we were committed to the boys, we had hundreds of pictures and hours of video to pull us through. Yes, seeing their precious little faces would make us miss them more...but at times it would boost the spirit in the waiting. Now we wait for the complete unknown...don't know the gender, the timing, where he/she is. Sometimes the unknown does make it easier to wait. We knew the conditions of what the boys were living in and it tore at our hearts. The knowledge of their conditions added so many more worries...worries like if they were even getting enough food. Now we don't know where our baby is, who is carrying the baby, how are they taking care of him/her? As you can see...I have not come to a conclusion about which style of adoption waiting is easier or harder!

All I know is that some days are so much easier than others, and some days the waiting seems so intense! I do know that the Lord is right here with us in the waiting. He doesn't leave me to do this on my own. I also know that He is working in the waiting. I may not ever know all that He is doing on our behalf during this time, but I have complete trust that He is working. My God is a God of Miracles, and He is working one right now! I don't know what it is going to look like, but I wait in expectation!

I waited patiently for the Lord, He turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the mud and mire. He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand! He put a new song in my mouth, and hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord. Psalm 40:1-3

Edited to add: So, I posted this post then went to read my devotional from Streams in the Desert...Can you believe that it was about waiting!?! Oh, God is soooo Good!

Here is an excerpt--

When the cloud remained...the Israelites...did not set out(Numbers 9:10).

This was the ultimate test of obedience.

The psalmist said, "I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry" (Psalm 40:1). And what God did for the Old Testament saints, He will do for believers down through the ages, yet He will often keep us waiting.
When God sends no answer and "the cloud remains," we must wait. Yet we can do so with the full assurance of God's provision of manna, water from the rock, shelter, and protection from our enemies. He never keeps us at our post without assuring us of His presence or sending us daily supplies. You must wait where you are until the cloud clearly begins to move. Wait for the Lord to give you His good pleasure! He will not be late!

He is El Roi...The Lord sees exactly what I am facing and what I am feeling. He comes to my side and answers me with encouragement like this! In the middle of the night one of the girls was up feeling sick. I got up with her, comforted her, and gave her some medicine. After I tucked her into bed, I went to crawl back into my bed. I began thinking...why are we even moving forward with adopting? What are we thinking? Why don't we just forget it and go through life with these precious girls? And then here it is...waiting is the ultimate test of obedience. It would be easy to think, "Nothing is happening...we might as well give up." It would be easier to say forget it and move on with life. My middle of the night thoughts were not of God. If we did give up, what would we miss out on? How many times have I said that this journey isn't about us...it is so much more. It is precisely what the Lord is using to produce in us His desires. He is going deep with our dependence upon Him in this. I am not going to give up. I will wait right here for His good pleasure!

Praise the Lord for His Faithfulness! Please keep praying as you sip your coffee. Pray for my continued dependence on Him, for Him to work miraculously on our behalf, and that I will not grow weary in the waiting!