By Katy Mariotti

When All You Can Do Is Wait

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

“Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!”
Psalm 37:7 English Standard Version

We’ve lived in our house for almost 11 years. I love it so much here that even though the house feels smaller and smaller as our kids grow, we can never find a house that’s good enough to justify leaving this one. The lot next door to us is empty and has been since we moved in. There’s an open field where a community center was long ago, and then a small wooded area that often has wild animals pass through, and where we have taken walks before (especially during COVID lockdown when going for walks was one of our main activities!)

The owners of the property have been mostly absent. There have been for sale signs up several times over the years, and we looked into purchasing it ourselves, but not only was it zoned commercial (meaning we could not build a house on it or use it for residential property), but it was priced for far more than we could afford. The signs have always been taken down after a while. Until now.

Now that the property has actually been sold, someone came in and cut down most of the trees next to us. They were able to change the zoning and intend to build four houses on the property. I knew it was coming, but it still broke my heart a little. Those lovely trees! Our little wooden space! But the truth is that it ISN’T ours, and it never was.

In a society where protesting and fighting for causes is valued, what do you do when you feel powerless to fight? We can’t afford the property ourselves. We have no right to it. And if I were in the owner’s shoes, I can’t say I wouldn’t also have sold it.

Psalm 37, one of my favorites, reminds us that sometimes, we are called to be still and wait for the Lord. Our society values DOING but sometimes that’s not our job or our place. What comes with being still and waiting is trust. Things may not always go the way we want, but we can always trust that the Lord loves us and will provide. And who knows? Maybe we could buy one of the houses that will be built. Or maybe a family that moves in will provide new best friends for my kids. Or maybe there’s more in store for our futures than we can even fathom.

Be still. Wait. Trust!

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado