I love it when I stumble upon a word or series of words in Scripture that causes me to pause and reflect. Recently, I noticed the word “Suddenly”. Of course, I had to look it up. Defined as “quickly, swiftly, without warning”. Not surprisingly, it’s a word used frequently in Scripture.

When the angel appeared to the Shepherds, he was there suddenly. Suddenly a fierce storm struck the lake when the disciples were in a boat with Jesus. Thinking of these times, I pondered the times in my life when “suddenly” changed everything. Like when we wanted to have a baby. Four years passed then suddenly I was pregnant. Another time, exhausted from running a restaurant for years, suddenly we received a call from someone who wanted to buy it. When we learned Mom had terminal cancer, suddenly we knew our time with her was short. In each circumstance, life had quickly changed.

It seems like there is always a season of waiting. We wait for test results, election results, a promotion, the holidays, a big sale, a proposal, a vacation, and on and on. Waiting is hard, right? We want to know what’s next. We want to move on. Better yet, we want our wait to end with our desired outcome. At some point, quite suddenly, it will be over. Suddenly we’ll know and we will move forward based on what we learn.

Many seasons in our life are redefined by “suddenly” moments. That’s what happened for Mary when she learned she would carry the Christ child. Her suddenly moment didn’t mean things would become easier. In fact, just the opposite. With the knowledge, things were clearer. Mary knew without a doubt God was with her, literally, carrying Him inside her.

God is with us too if only we seek Him. Our suddenly moments are of no surprise to Him. He’s known about them from the beginning of time. They can be good news or bad news, but they often come after a season of waiting. Most of us aren’t good at waiting, but waiting can be a time to rest, reprioritize, and refresh. A time to allow God to help us work through solutions and reactions His way.

No wait lasts forever. Suddenly our answer will come. When it does, we can find comfort in knowing He’s had a plan laid out all along. Let’s use our seasons of waiting to lean into God so when our suddenly moment happens, even if it isn’t the result we want, our responses will bring Him honor and glory.

Psalm 27:14 “Wait for the Lord, be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!” (ESV).