Lamentations 3:25–26 + Gilead by Marilynne Robinson

In a world that rarely slows down, God invites us to be still. In this first season of Be Still: A Walking with Purpose Podcast, Lisa Brenninkmeyer explores six Scriptures that teach us how to stop striving, quiet our hearts, and trust Him in the middle of real life. Through the wisdom of the Bible and the companionship of great books, we’ll discover how God gently holds us steady and invites us to be still—right where we are.

Today we’re going to wait.

“The Lord is good to those who wait for him,
to the soul who seeks him.
It is good that one should wait quietly
for the salvation of the Lord.”
//Lamentations 3:25–26

Waiting rarely feels good.

We call it frustrating. Delayed. Unfair. We ask God for patience—and then find ourselves in long lines, long conversations, long healing processes, long seasons where nothing seems to move.

But Lamentations was written in the rubble of Jerusalem. The city had fallen. The temple had burned. The people were living with the consequences of idolatry and injustice. And right there—in the middle of grief—comes this quiet declaration:

The Lord is good to those who wait for him.

Waiting in Lamentations is corrective. Waiting in Gilead by Marilynne Robinson is mortal. Reverend John Ames is not under judgment—he is under time. Yet both kinds of waiting lead to the same place:

Dependence.

In this episode, Lisa explores how waiting exposes our limits, loosens our grip on control, and invites us to entrust the future to God. Through Scripture and story, we discover that waiting is not wasted time—it is often the quiet work of God forming us from the inside out.

Not all waiting is the same.
But all waiting confronts us with the same question:
Will I try to rescue myself—or will I entrust myself to the Lord?

In this episode, we explore:

• Why Lamentations calls waiting “good” in the middle of devastation
• The difference between corrective waiting and mortal waiting
• How dependence, not control, becomes the turning point
• What John Ames teaches us about blessing what we cannot manage
• How quiet waiting is not passivity—but surrendered faithfulness
• The interior work God may be doing when nothing seems to change

Waiting does not always change our circumstances. But it changes our sight. It steadies us.

Journaling Questions

1. In what area of my life am I waiting? 
2. As I wait, what is already in my hands that I can honor?
3. What virtue might God be developing in me through this wait?

Key Scripture
Lamentations 3:25–26. The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.

Show Mention
Abriendo tu corazón. This translated Spanish version of our most popular Bible study, Opening Your Heart, is now available in our shop. 

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