Don’t Be Anxious In This Waiting Season

I’m waiting to see God move in about a dozen different situations right now. I’m looking forward to bragging on Him, being able to give Him honor and glory for each of those prayer requests being answered. 

But here’s the deal. I’m waiting. I’m not the best wait-er in the world, so saying this is a challenge is putting it mildly. What I want to do is run in with guns a-blazing, hurry to fix everything and get on to the celebrating and praising part. But let me tell you, that’s not what God has in mind right now. 

So I’m waiting.

Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day. Psalm 25:5

Waiting is difficult. It’s painful. It’s supposed to grow us, even when we’re not sure we want to grow this way. So we wait. Even when we’re not sure exactly what we’re waiting for. But we know exactly Who we’re waiting on.

What you do while you’re waiting says a lot about your relationship with God. I know very, very few people who are good, patient wait-ers. The rest of us aren’t content to sit, twiddling our thumbs, until the moment is right. If God’s calling your heart right now, like He is mine, you’d better answer it.

The best thing we can do while we wait is follow the Spirit’s leading and prepare ourselves for whatever happens next. Our Christianity isn’t formulaic, one-size-fits-all or broken down into a set number of steps to reach a goal. We are all unique and special and created to have a personal relationship with our Heavenly Father. What I’m called to do in a situation could be the worst possible thing someone else could do in theirs … and vice versa.

So what do we do while we’re waiting for God to move? We prepare so we’re not worried about ourselves when the waiting season comes to an end. What does that preparation look like?

* Bible reading: Get on a reading plan (like the devotional on this blog) and read a few chapters of the Bible every single day. That reading will become habit, and you’ll absorb God’s truth to save for when you need it most.
* Prayer: When you have regular conversations with the Lord, you’ll recognize His voice more easily. Then, when He gives you answers to your prayers, you’ll know it’s Him!
* Prayer warriors: Get a group of ladies together who will devote themselves to praying for you every day. I have an army of prayer warriors in my own life, and I return the blessing for them. All it takes is a text and I know there are prayers immediately going to the throne room of grace. This strengthens and encourages me.
* Be in church. Be there absolutely every single time the doors are open. Be there for the preaching. Be there for Sunday school. Be there for prayer time. Be there for fellowship. Be there when guests and missionaries are there. Be. There. Not only will you soak up God’s word in many different ways, you’ll be a blessing for your pastor, his wife, the congregation and all its special guests. That is the definition of preparing while you wait.

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