Stop Hitting Refresh

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Wait for the Lord; be strong and courageous. Wait for the Lord. Psalm 27:14 (HCSB)

I told myself I wasn’t obsessed. I was just “checking.”

But if I'm being honest, I refreshed that tracking number at least 20 times in one afternoon. The package I needed for the women’s conference had already left the warehouse. It was on its way. My constant checking didn’t make the truck drive faster or clear traffic.

It only revealed something in me.

Sometimes impatience is just fear dressed up. It feels productive. It feels responsible. But often, it’s simply our need to control what was never ours to manage.

Waiting for that package was exposing what I was trying to control.

Isaiah 40:31 (HCSB) says, “But those who trust in the Lord will renew their strength; they will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not become weary, they will walk and not faint.”

Notice what it doesn’t say. It doesn’t say those who rush will renew their strength. It doesn’t say those who manage every detail will soar. It says those who trust.

This is where it gets uncomfortable because I love to plan. I love knowing when things will arrive. But Proverbs 16:9 (HCSB) reminds me, “A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord determines his steps.” I can plan. But I am not determining the route.

My impatience was whispering, If I don’t handle this, no one will.

However, faith says, God is already handling what I cannot see. Psalm 27:14 (HCSB) tells us, “Wait for the Lord; be strong and courageous. Wait for the Lord.”

Be strong, not frantic. Be courageous, not controlling.

Lamentations 3:25 (HCSB) anchors it even deeper: “The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the person who seeks Him." He is good in the waiting.

Not just in the arrival.

That afternoon, my package came exactly when it was scheduled to. All my refreshing didn’t add a single second of speed. But it did show me how tightly I grip what feels uncertain.

The delivery truck of God’s promises doesn’t need my supervision.

Maybe today the tracking number you keep refreshing isn’t about a package. Maybe it’s a prayer, a relationship, a diagnosis, or a dream.

You can make your plans. But remember, you are not determining the steps. So, take a deep breath and take your hand off the refresh button.

Trust is quieter than control, but it carries far more strength. And when we choose to wait on Him, we don’t lose ground. We gain renewed strength.

Questions for Reflection:

1. In what area am I planning carefully but struggling to trust God with the outcome (Proverbs 16:9)?

2. What fear might be hiding underneath?

3. What would it look like this week to take my hand off the “refresh button” and practice courageous waiting?