Being the Beloved:
stories of experiencing God in daily life
By Stan Jacobson, Spiritual Director
“Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy. For waters shall break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert.” Isaiah 35:5-6
In 2014 I titled these verses in my Bible as “My Prayer” because it became my hope and my desire in a certain area of my life for which I had not seen it fulfilled. So I remained in a time of waiting…waiting with patience. I believe that much of what we pray requires waiting with patience.
I experienced this time of patient waiting prayer throughout my life, but especially as I prayed for my dad who was a confirmed antagonist against the Church. I prayed his eyes would be opened, his ears unstopped. And still I waited. It was not until the last few years of his life that he found Christ and joined Bethany Lutheran Church in the hills surrounding Longview, Washington. Those were many years of waiting with patience. Yes, much of what we pray for demands waiting! And waiting demands faith.
Our life is often consumed by waiting, and this is our invitation to practice waiting prayer. We wait for the light to change. We wait for our health to improve. We wait for our loved ones to come home. We wait for winter to turn to spring. We wait for politicians to fulfill their promises. We are often waiting for Jesus to come and fix this messed up world of ours. Yes, we are constantly waiting!
Waiting is often a time of distress, for waiting often feels painful. Yet, in James 1: 2-4 we are reminded, “My brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance; and let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature, and complete, lacking in nothing.” So often we pray that God will give us the patience and humility to endure as we continue to wait, and yet it's good to remember that it is God is also waiting for each one of us, and, in fact, God has found us!
The Gospels tell us that God stooped down and came to us and his name is “Emmanuel” which means “God is with us.” It was Mary, the Mother of Jesus, who said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word. And so it was. And so, it is with all who, wearied by their searching wake up to the gift already given; so, it is with all who wake up to find themselves found by Emmanuel, God is with us.” (Quoted from God with Us, Richard John Neuhaus, p. 19)
Yes, we continue to wait and to pray that God opens our eyes to the gift already given in the person of Jesus the Christ, who died on the cross and rose from the grave that all of us might have life in his name.
Author Bio: Pastor Stan Jacobson is an ordained pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. He completed his spiritual direction certification program with CFDM NW in 2017, and enjoys meeting with several men for spiritual direction, and “waits” to welcome others into this hospitable listening space. He also enjoys walking his neighborhood in Sequim, WA, as well as traveling and seeing the world, especially throughout the United States.
Photo by Ümit Bulut on Unsplash
What are your responses to these reflection questions? Post in the comments below or hop on over to our Facebook page and share with one another.
CFDM-NW offers online Listening Groups, and monthly Mini Retreats. See below for more information!
Online Mini Retreat:
October 17, 2026, 10a-12p PT
Centering Prayer: Consenting to God’s Presence and Action Within Us
Presenter: Pastor Chris Murphy
In centering prayer, we sit in God's loving presence with no agenda, no requests. It's a prayer of open surrender to God's presence and action within us. In this retreat, you'll learn guidelines that help you to be still in God's presence, and we'll have the opportunity to practice this prayer together.
Centering Prayer is beautifully described by Thomas Keating as “…the opening of mind and heart - our whole being - to God beyond thoughts, words, and emotions. Moved by God’s sustaining grace, we open our awareness to God, who we know by faith is within us, closer than breathing, closer than thinking, closer than choosing - closer than consciousness itself.
