Desperately, helplessly, longingly I cried,
Quietly, patiently, lovingly God replied.
I pled and wept for a clue to fate,
And the Master gently said, “Child, you must wait.”

Wait? you say,
‘Wait’ my indignant reply,
Lord, I need answers,
I need to know why!

Is your hand shortened?
Or have you not heard?
By faith I’ve asked,
And am claiming your Word.

My future and all
To which I relate,
Hangs in the balance,
And you tell me to wait?

I’m seeking a ‘yes’
A go-ahead sign,
Or even a ‘no’
To which I can resign.

And Lord, you promised
That if we believe,
We need but to ask,
And we receive.

Lord I’ve been asking,
And this is my cry,
I’m weary of asking,
I need a reply!

Then quietly, softly,
I learned of my fate,
As my Master replied
Once again, ‘My child, you must wait.’

So I slumped into my chair,
Defeated and taut,
And grumbled to God,
“So I’m waiting… for what?”

He then seemed to kneel,
And His eyes wept with mine,
And He tenderly said,
“I could give you the sign.”

I could shake the Heavens,
And darken the Sun,
I could raise the dead,
And cause the mountains to run.

All you seek, I could give,
And pleased you would be,
You’d have what you want,
But you’d not know me.

You’d not know
My love for each saint,
You’d not know
The power I give to the faint.

You’d not learn,
To see through clouds of despair,
You’d not learn,
To trust by knowing I’m there.

You’d not know
The joy of resting in Me,
When darkness and silence
Were all you could see.

You’d never experience
That fullness of love,
As the peace of My spirit
Descends on you like a dove.

You’d know what I give and what I save,
For a start,
But you’d not know
The depth of the beat in my heart.

The glow of my comfort
Late into the night
The faith that I give,
When you walk without sight.

The depth that’s beyond
Getting just what you asked,
Of an indefinite God,
Who makes, what you have last.

You’d never know,
Should your pain quickly flee,
What it means by,
“My grace is sufficient for thee.”

Yes, your dreams for your loved ones
Overnight would come true,
But Oh! the loss if I lost
What I’m doing in you.

So be silent, my child,
And in time you’ll see,
That the greatest of gifts
Is to get to know me.

And though oft’ my answers
Seem terribly late,
My most precious answer of all is
Still ‘Wait’.”

Realised then I
If I always walked on roses,
And never experienced the thorns,
I’d never appreciate God’s love,
And would be living in vain for long.

I have so much to learn,
And my growth is slow,
At times I seek mountain peaks,
But it’s in the valleys that I grow.

Forgive me Master, for complaining
When I’m feeling low,
Just give me a gentle reminder:
‘WAIT, IN THE VALLEYS YOU GROW.”