Wait And See

Scriptures: Psalms 27:13-14, Proverbs 3:5-6

When the Wait Begins

Meet Ashley, Samantha, Dianna, and my husband Scott. These are real people who waited on God. As we journey together, you will see how each individual applied the principles of waiting well.

When she was thirty years old, Ashley sensed God leading her to teach women stories and guidelines from the Bible. Thinking she had it all figured out and certain of God’s desire for her life, Ashley jumped right in to preparing her Bible study class at church. She organized her materials, started the sign-up process, and counted on God to fill her classroom. Only one woman joined, and she later withdrew because of a scheduling conflict. Did Ashley hear God wrong?

God shows you His design for your life. He whets your appetite for all He has planned. Excitement overwhelms you as you sit on the edge of your seat. Then you wait.

Ashley waited.

In her early twenties, Samantha began to seriously ponder if it was the Lord’s will for her to be married. She felt Him give her a green light, so she prayed daily for her marriage and her husband—even though she didn’t yet know him. She studied scriptures on marriage and about being a wife, and she gleaned wisdom from many married women. Year after year, Samantha continued hoping for a husband, trusting that her desires to marry were from the Lord. Yet year after year, she remained single.

God tucks a dream deep in your heart. You believe Him for the completion of this dream. You patiently do all the “right” things. Then you wait.

Samantha waited.

Dianna felt the call to full-time ministry. With her husband’s job secure, she walked away from a $75,000-a-year career to pursue her calling. Her yes to God was followed by the 2008 market crash, which devastated her family. Her husband, a builder of custom homes, lost his job. Losing their own home was just the start of some tough years of waiting and rebuilding. During the family’s five moves, including a two-month stay in a hotel, Dianna contracted severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). Things looked hopeful when the family found a wonderful home to rent—only to receive an eviction notice because the landlord had not paid the mortgage. Facing homelessness again, a disease, no health insurance, and no job, Dianna felt betrayed, helpless, abandoned, and hopeless.

The timing seems right. You step out in faith and say yes to God, then you lose your home and health.

Dianna waited.

Scott stood six foot three—a strong, healthy man. He and I were busy doing life and raising our two children. Everything seemed picture perfect for our family. Without warning, the picture became blurred, literally, when the vision in Scott’s left eye began to fail. He went from one specialist to another. Each doctor ordered new tests and, with the best intentions, prescribed new treatments. We prayed for healing. Our church family rallied around us and prayed. I invited my blog friends to pray. We had people all over the world asking God to heal Scott’s eye. Yet after eighteen months, there was still no definitive diagnosis or change in Scott’s condition.

You pray. You anoint with oil. You pray some more. Then you wait.

We waited.

Do you see yourself somewhere between the lines of these waiting stories? Maybe you are praying for a husband or waiting for God’s plan for your life to come to fruition. Perhaps your life has fallen into place just as God revealed but something or someone is blocking the way toward what you really hope for. So you wait, hope, believe, and yet sometimes second-guess the plan.

Scriptures: Isaiah 40:31, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Misconceptions

Recognizing misconceptions will empower us to wait well, stay present in the present, and experience God in our delay.

Misconception #1: If I am waiting, I must not have heard God correctly. Ashley learned that waiting doesn’t necessarily mean you heard God incorrectly. Ashley says, “We give up too easily because we don’t see what we want to see when we want to see it.”

We can redirect the negative thoughts we often receive by revisiting the moments when we sensed the Lord’s nudging. Reliving the moments of pure excitement we experienced when we felt the prodding of His Spirit will extinguish uncertainty that tries to creep in to steal our joy. We may have to travel down memory lane many times during our wait. Ashley had to make the trip several times throughout her ten-year pause, asking for God’s clarity and assurance.

This is why it is so important to invite God into our wait from the very beginning, instead of after we have tried everything we know to make things happen. As we spend time with Him and in His Word, we gain confidence in His plans. A quick visit to the past fills us with the peace we need to make it through the pause. Waiting well teaches us to trust His delays rather than doubt His ways.

Misconception #2: If I am waiting, I must desire something not in God’s will for my life. Samantha desired to be married. She knew God ordained and approved marriage, but did He want her to be married? There are plenty of verses in the Bible about marriage, relationships, and how to be a loving spouse. Yet Samantha also knew the verses in which Paul clearly states that some people are called to remain single. When passages seemingly conflict, it can be difficult to determine God’s will for your life.

Samantha asked her family and several close friends to pray for her. She committed to taking each step she felt God asked of her—whether that was toward meeting her future spouse or remaining single.

Misconception #3: If I am waiting, I must not be praying enough. Day after day, Dianna prayed and sought the Lord. Many days, she ate only one meal so her family could have all the food they needed. She watched her husband take odd jobs here and there just to make ends meet. Dianna spent weekends at the laundromat because she did not have a washer or a dryer. She fought the spirit of discouragement on her knees.

She knew in her heart God would supply their needs, but she had to keep telling her head. Dianna faithfully followed the teaching of Paul in 1 Thessalonians 5:17: “Never stop praying” (NLT). Her wait didn’t end because she prayed, but her resolve strengthened, helping her to face each day.

Misconception #4: If I am waiting, I must not have enough faith. This was the lie I believed as we agonized over Scott’s declining health. His faith is quiet and personal. As we lived out this mystery, I watched his discreet faith become deathly silent. His attitude toward prayer and the things of God grew cynical.

While Scott’s faith is quiet, mine is vocal. When I wasn’t serving or teaching at church, I was leading women’s conferences and writing devotions and book contributions. My prayer life and Bible study were more than routine. Each morning, I had, and still have, a standing appointment with the Lord. Certainly I was doing enough work for the kingdom to get God’s attention concerning Scott’s health. All of this surely proved my faith was strong enough for the two of us and was worthy of a little healing.

Here’s the thing—I should have prayed and read my Bible, but not to work my way back into God’s good graces. He is a gracious and merciful God. My praying and Scripture reading do not make Him more gracious. Somewhere along the way, I’d convinced myself otherwise. God makes us wait at times so we can glean valuable lessons. But He never does so out of spite. This is something David taught me as I continued to wait for God to heal my husband.

Scriptures: James 1:2, Romans 5:3-4, Psalms 33:20-22

Pasture Experiences

Have you ever felt God calling you to something? How did you react? You could do one of two things: with good intentions, you could try everything in your power to fulfill the calling … or you could wait for God to give you specific directions. There is wisdom in taking steps of action, and there is wisdom in waiting on God to tell you where to walk. It’s all about finding the balance between the two. Think of waiting as controlled preparation, like getting ready to have a baby.

Moms-to-be don’t visit every pediatrician in their area several times a week or buy all the diapers on Amazon. Nor do they just sit at home waiting for the day of delivery. They take deliberate steps for months in anticipation of the big day. Mommas may change their diets to nourish their little ones and ask other mothers for wisdom. They definitely visit the doctor as necessary, buy maternity clothes, and pray (a lot!). As the due date for my firstborn crept closer and closer, my anxiety grew more and more. I organized and reorganized the nursery, drove the route to the hospital, and read What to Expect When You’re Expecting until the cover was permanently folded over.

The same is true for God’s timing and our preparation. Our job is to not run ahead of Him or lag behind. We should take natural, commonsense steps that are in line with His Word so we will be ready when He delivers our heart’s desire. As we step out in faith, He will show us the way by either opening doors or closing them. Sometimes that will require we do a new thing, and sometimes it means doing what we already know to do.

A friend of mine wanted to write a book for ten years. Every time she got serious about starting the project, something deterred her: her family moved, she started a new job, she had another baby. God continued to close doors on her. A decade after He called her to write that book, she finally did. My friend realized the move, job, and baby each held lessons that ended up playing integral parts in her message. As she waited in her pasture—tending her sheep—God was getting her ready to share His heart in her book.

Waiting in the pasture and tending sheep are difficult when we feel God has called us to something different. Many of us Jesus girls are doers, created with a nature to fix, nurture, and make things happen. Therefore, we don’t easily accept an assignment to hang out in our pastures and do the same old things when new things need to be done. And some of us Jesus girls are more cautious, created with timid hearts that seek confirmation.

Before we get discouraged or passive about hanging out on the hilly slopes of what we know, let’s revisit James 1:2: “So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let [a test or challenge] do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way” (THE MESSAGE).

David was approximately ten years old when he was anointed king. He was not old enough or experienced enough to be king. Simply put, he wasn’t ready for the throne. However, his time as a shepherd had prepared him to be king.

Like David’s, our pasture experience will mature and develop us for the next season of life. Lingering in our field will teach us the trustworthiness of God and the vastness of His ways. If David had rushed to the palace, his kingship would have advanced quite differently. Yet if he hadn’t taken the steps to get to the palace, he may never have been crowned. Who knows—we might never have been blessed by his poetic artistry of the psalms. Regardless if we like it, it is necessary for Jesus’s followers to embrace the pasture and tend to our sheep, as well as be willing to take a few steps toward leaving our current pasture.

Scriptures: Philippians 2:3, Jeremiah 29:11

The Next Thing

It sounds exciting to “do the next thing” when that next thing is interesting. But if we can’t put the pieces of the puzzle together, we may scratch our head and wonder, How is this drawing me closer to the object of my wait? Instead, we should evaluate how the wait is drawing us closer to the Person of our faith.

Let’s be honest—if given the choice, we would all choose the shortest route to the object of our wait. Even though we know God wants to do a new thing, we prefer the fast track with the least resistance. But God, knowing our weaknesses and vulnerability, often chooses to lead us via a longer route so we can learn to trust Him more.

We hesitate to embrace the next thing and move forward. God knows that. Even as we’re surrendering, we vacillate with uncertainty. Can I really trust God? The what ifsbecome louder and louder. He knows our fears, doubts, and hesitations. He knows a longer route (aka, our next thing) will provide opportunities to experience Him and resolve our moving-forward issues. He uses our next thing to build a faith bank of trust.

My days of writing thank-you notes, coding bills, and caring for monthly givers ended almost twelve years after I accepted God’s invitation to move. Yes, my next thinglasted twelve years. Sorry if that rains on your parade. Some seasons of waiting last longer than others.

My cubicle days were rich in character building. As I immersed myself in the study of God’s Word, I fell more in love with God and less in love with me. Greater value was placed on bringing glory to His name rather than fame to mine. The truth of Philippians 2:3 took root deep in the once-rocky soil of my heart: “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.”

My next thing taught me that my purpose is not to stand at center stage, but to support the One who stands at center stage. His plan is always about His book, not mine. The picture finally became abundantly clear to me: it’s only about God.

Scriptures: 2 Corinthians 12:9, Joshua 1:9

Fighting Discouragement

The psalmist’s words became my personal prayer. Help me stay planted by the streams of Your water, God. Keep me from wickedness. Help me meditate on Your law day and night. Oh, how I longed to delight in God rather than wallow with Discouragement.

Every day started in His Word. Most days I didn’t understand what I read, but I believed in God’s faithfulness, and I noticed how Bible verses started to repeat in my head more than Discouragement’s voice. Determined to stay refreshed by God’s Word, like a tree planted by streams of water, I started to keep a Bible always within arm’s reach: in the car, beside my bed, on the end table by the couch, in the kitchen.

At one point, I had verses taped on nearly every doorframe in my house. I’m not sharing this to make myself sound super spiritual. I’m sharing this to show how desperate I was to defeat Discouragement, Negativity, and Rejection.

My victory has taken years to realize. The battle has been slow, but every time I read and meditate on Scripture, I gain ground. Every now and then, Discouragement sets a trap; however, with God’s wisdom, I am able to avoid it. I shout my victory chant, “No weapon formed against me will prosper.” The bullies flee. I praise. Why don’t you shout the victory chant aloud right now? Go ahead. I’ll wait.

David dealt with criticism from his wife and negativity from his brothers, but he didn’t allow Discouragement to defeat him. He stayed close to God, and he cried out every time he needed help. We are blessed to be able to cry out to God for help and search His Word for inspiration.

Sometimes the totality and enormity of God’s Word can be overwhelming. Have you ever felt this way? You know encouragement will come from Scripture, but when you open the Bible, you don’t know how to find the encouragement that awaits. When I have this feeling, I create my own mini-Bible.

Using my Bible’s concordance, I look up a word that has something to do with my current state of mind and circumstances. For example, if I am feeling rejected, I find the word love and look up verses about God’s love. Then, in a small spiral-bound notebook, I record every verse that lifts my heart. This mini-Bible becomes my go-to place for quick encouragement.

God was faithful to David. God will be faithful to you and me as well.

Scriptures: Psalms 135:15-17, Hebrews 13:5

Idols

Pauses are places meant to strengthen our resolve, not weaken our faith. The Israelites chose to thoughtlessly throw the plunder from Egypt into the fire to make a false god rather than show their allegiance to God. For those of us on this side of Mt. Sinai, it’s easy to point a judgmental finger at the Israelites. But if we’re honest, we have a little bit of Abraham, Sarah, and the Israelites hidden within our hurried heart. I know I’m guilty.

For a while, publishing a book was my idol. Nausea sweeps over me even now as I confess this to you. As my sisters in ministry were getting their books published, I whined and my faith waned. Envy consumed me. Why can’t that be me, Lord? She hasn’t been serving You as long as I have, and now she is releasing her second book.It wasn’t pretty. Then one day I decided I was going to write a book.

I informed my family of the changes that would be necessary in order for me to write said book: fewer homemade meals, more chores for them, and less time with me. I threw my family to the wolves, and I threw my words in the fire and crafted an idol in the shape of a book. Tears rim my eyes as I type these words. Instead of strengthening my faith by tending to the sheep in my pasture and working out my salvation, I forged my idol.

Thankfully, before I lost all control, a friend had the courage to speak truth into my heart. “Wendy,” she said, “your writing isn’t that good, and it really needs a lot of work.” Honesty hurts, folks. These words wrapped around my heart like the tentacles of a jellyfish attached to its prey.

I felt the sting of my friend’s words. But after some time, I realized she was right and I allowed God to heal me. I laid down my idol and thanked God for a friend who loved me enough to speak truth. My writing wasn’t ready to be published, and my heart wasn’t ready to receive such a blessing. The pause was my protection.

I joyously resumed my position in my pasture of motherhood. When my daughter called from her room, “Mom, can you make me a ‘grilla’ cheese sandwich?” (a mispronounced word from her childhood), I responded, “Yes. You want it cut into triangles?” I had the time to make it because I wasn’t bowing at the altar of my idol. My husband didn’t have to ask if his underwear had gotten lost in the laundry, and watching shows about construction with my son no longer felt like an imposition.

Day in and day out, God demonstrates His mercy, power, and provision, yet in the pause it is easy to forget His faithfulness. We become impatient and try to rush the wait especially when life hangs in the balance or our funds have run dry. We often can’t wrap our head or heart around God’s timing or ways. When our pause seems more like a wilderness, we must be determined to strengthen our faith by trusting His timing. Cling to His peace, and remember—God has a history of working miracles.

Scriptures: Isaiah 41:10, Romans 8:38-39

Eternally With You

We’ve talked at great length about the wilderness being a place where we feel as though God is no longer interested or active in our wait. As far as we can tell, He’s abandoned us. That’s just not true. Take this to the bank and deposit it for safekeeping: God is always present with you.

This characteristic of God is defined as being omnipresent. It’s a big Bible word we can add to our vocabulary and retrieve when abandonment issues tiptoe into our thought life. Turn the corner of this page down and put a large star by this sentence: Omnipresent means always present; everywhere at the same time. Now, when you feel abandoned, remember to come back here and remind yourself that God is constantly, forever, eternally with you.

He is never not with me. He is never not with you. (English majors and grammar police, please don’t email me about the double negatives.) He is next to us in our wilderness, even if we don’t see Him at work. Whoa! I just blew my own mind.

Even though we feel abandoned by God, we aren’t. God didn’t abandon Abraham and Sarah. God didn’t abandon the Israelites. God has not and will not abandon you. Try singing these words to the tune of “Jesus Loves Me, This I Know”: “God is with me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so. Though His presence I can’t see, God will not abandon me. Yes, God is with me. Yes, God is with me. Yes, God is with me. The Bible tells me so.”

God didn’t abandon David. He roamed in and out of caves and strongholds. He dodged arrows at the dinner table and fled from the king’s army. For over fifteen years, he wandered and waited for his appointing. But David’s wait did come to an end.

We know we’re waiting well when we truly experience peace in God’s pauses and plans. The peace is demonstrated in the resting of our thoughts and actions. Our real focus becomes a deep and abiding relationship with the Person of our faith, rather than manipulating our circumstances to receive the object of our wait. David waited well by focusing on God, not the problems, the people, or the palace.