When I shop, boho jewelry and anything denim have a magnetic pull on my purse strings. But about a year ago, something different drew me in. A mug with its soft edges and soft ecru color featured 3 words. Pray. Wait. Trust.

As it pulled on my heart strings, the magnet worked. I quickly placed the mug in my cart and made my way to the cashier. I looked forward to drinking from the cup and considering each word — one sip at a time. But a closer look took me beyond my cup. These 3 words made me reflect on the life of Christ.

His prayer life is evident in each Gospel account. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John contain passages that highlight God the Son talking to God the Father. I can only imagine the intimacy and the gravity of their conversations. And yet, we may need some prayerful conversations of our own.

Christ declared that He came from heaven to do the will of the Father. (see John 6:37-39) Undoubtedly, Jesus’s prayers were integral to Him fulfilling His mission. Likewise, if we’re grappling with a task or we have unending questions, choosing to PRAY can help us, too.

From being honest about our struggles to being open to something new, God invites us to invite Him in.

In prayer, we can bare our souls and embrace His will. But the next word on the cup, WAIT, may bring next level tension to the heart. When we are desperate for a solution or determined to reach a goal, waiting is hard to do. Thankfully, Jesus shows us the way. In His 3 years of public ministry, His waiting was just as important as His working miracles.

He waited for the right time to reveal who He was. (see John 2:1-11) He was patient with His twelve disciples, as they frequently asked questions; but seldom understood His answers. Jesus knew God’s timing is God’s determination for what He allows or what He causes to happen.

And yet, we may struggle with the choices God makes. But as I seek His peace, waiting becomes a window of watching my faith grow. (see Psalm 27:13-14) Otherwise, waiting is mostly seen as an unwanted delay.

But we can TRUST that God is always at work. He is setting His redemptive plans in motion in ways we may not understand. As we trust Him, His faithfulness becomes our focus. His timing becomes our desire.

With Jesus being fully God and fully human, it’s easy to think trust came naturally to Him. But when it came to surrendering to God’s plan, Jesus’s sweat became drops of blood (see Luke 22:39-44).  That doesn’t look easy to me at all. In fact, Jesus learned obedience through the things He suffered. (see Hebrews 5:7-9) I wish there were another way for you and for me. But there is no workaround suffering for us either.

Thankfully, Jesus is our example and our strength. As we PRAY and WAIT, we may want God to do what we want the most; but we can also TRUST God to meet us in the ways we need Him the most. When we need calm, He is our peace. When we need wisdom, He is our Wonderful Counselor. And when we have no idea what we need, He is the God whose grace is sufficient in all things.

As I sip from my cup, I’m reminded of the cup Jesus took for me. It was the ultimate cup of suffering to redeem us all. (see John 18:10-12) Now through faith in Him, we can enjoy the cup of blessing. Filled with His grace beyond measure, we can grow one sip at a time.

“Lord, you alone are my inheritance, my cup of blessing. You guard all that is mine.” (Psalm 16:5 NLT)