My grandma wrote the words rely, relax, and wait on one of the days in the margin of her devotional book Streams in the Desert. When I looked at them after her passing, I thought about each word.

Rely
Trust like a child. He will sustain you. God hasn’t forgotten your need. His answer may not be immediate, but He has heard your prayer. One entry in the devotion said: “When you have prayed to the end, take heart, it’s not the end of God.” God has no end of strength. He has no end of mercy. He has no end of reliability. He has no end of anything! In our weakness, He is like steel – unmoving, strong. We need to let God be God and quit trying to take control. Besides, when we think about our own strength, we usually mess it up when we control our lives.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6

We are in a society where things are basically fluid. People are fickle. Their opinions change with the wind, they are easily deceived, and the things and people they claim they are devoted to moves to and fro like the wind moves the limbs of a tree. Unfortunately, the majority of people are no longer trusting in the Lord. To trust in the Lord means to believe Him and let go of our control, which is not always easy but definitely worth it.

Relax
How can we relax when things are going wrong, when we are at the end of our strength? By knowing that He is God, and that He is in control. If He is God enough to part the Red Sea, to come to us in human form and rise again, He is God enough to give our troubles to, and so we can relax and trust in Him.

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. Psalm 91:1

He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside still waters. Psalm 23:2.

Wait
This can be the hardest part of the three words Grandma wrote, especially when we’ve been praying for something for many years, with no apparent answer. However, God always answers our prayers. He does not ignore us. His answer is yes, no, or wait. I get it, I’ve been there, praying for over 15 years for something to happen, not having any idea how God was going to answer, but knowing He heard my prayers. Sometimes we can get tired and weary, but we have to remember Who God is. The sovereign One, the Almighty. He’s always working, always moving, even when we can’t see it. The word wait doesn’t mean just sit and do nothing, it is active waiting. It’s doing His work while you wait for His answer, continuing to do whatever work He has called you to do.

So we rely on Him and on Who He is. We relax, knowing He is in control, and we wait for Him to work. He will answer!

We wait in hope for the Lord; He is our help and our shield Ps 33:20

Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth. Ps 46:10

From ministry friend Pam Rehbein