waiting

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A while back we talked about times when God says no and trusting in His love even then. This trust rests in our knowledge of His character:

God is good

Good is love

God is faithful, powerful, and sovereign

God is always with us

It’s largely about a change of focus. Will we focus on the closed door or on God and His unchanging nature?

But what about when God says wait? Sometimes I think that is harder than a thousand closed doors! It goes against our “do” nature and pricks at our insecurities. What if we surrender our all, keep walking, and God doesn’t pull through?

Lately, I’ve felt like I’ve wandered into the perpetual waiting room, and it’s easy to assume the not-yets mean no. It’s much harder to keep walking when the road continues to climb, the finish line shrouded from view.

Our faith is tested most, I believe, during times of waiting. The longer the wait, the more faith we’ll need.

For those of you waiting … for a job, an opportunity, a loved one to come to Christ, whatever, stop and meditate on the following passage. Take time to recall the history of each life mentioned and how long they waited.

Psalm 105 (I’ve pulled out the verses that impacted me most, but you can read the entire passage here.):

Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name;
make known among the nations what he has done.
2 Sing to him, sing praise to him;
tell of all his wonderful acts. 
3 Glory in his holy name;
let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.
4 Look to the Lord and his strength;
    seek his face always.

When you can’t see the future, spend time recalling the past. Remember God’s goodness, His faithfulness. Most importantly, draw near, focusing on His strength working in you.

7 He is the Lord our God;
his judgments are in all the earth.

8 He remembers his covenant forever,
the promise he made, for a thousand generations,
9 the covenant he made with Abraham,
the oath he swore to Isaac.
10 He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree,
to Israel as an everlasting covenant:
11 “To you I will give the land of Canaan
as the portion you will inherit.”

12 When they were but few in number, 
    few indeed, and strangers in it, 

(You can read the full account of each event mentioned by clicking on the following sentences.) God’s promise to Abraham came when he and his wife were old and barren. God’s promise came to Jacob when he was fleeing the wrath of his brother, Esau. Joseph received his divine promise when he was a young man, hated by his brothers. Shortly after he was thrown into a cistern, sold into slavery, and falsely imprisoned. And then there was Moses, a man trained and educated as a prince, later hiding out in Midian ….
13 they wandered from nation to nation,
from one kingdom to another.
14 He allowed no one to oppress them;
for their sake he rebuked kings:
15 “Do not touch my anointed ones;
do my prophets no harm.”

16 He called down famine on the land
and destroyed all their supplies of food;
17 and he sent a man before them—
    Joseph, sold as a slave.

To the observer, this would have seen like a step backward. How could these men be chosen people? A great nation? Was this how God treated His own? Why would He allow this famine and Joseph to be sold into slavery? We’re blessed to have the entire account, so we know the answer to all the whys … but Joseph and his father Jacob didn’t. They had to trust and cling tight to what they knew to be true.
18 They bruised his feet with shackles,
his neck was put in irons,
19 till what he foretold came to pass,
till the word of the Lord proved him true.
20 The king sent and released him,
the ruler of peoples set him free.
21 He made him master of his household,
ruler over all he possessed,
23 Then Israel entered Egypt;

Jacob resided as a foreigner in the land of Ham.

While in Egypt, the Israelites were oppressed and enslaved. What happened to God’s promise? I wonder how many gave up hope, how many turned away …. 
26 He sent Moses his servant,
and Aaron, whom he had chosen.

Israel’s redemption didn’t come quickly nor easily. It took centuries for God’s promise to be fulfilled. Centuries of trusting or fretting, surrendering or rebelling, focusing on God and His promises or the obstacles marring their way.
37 He brought out Israel, laden with silver and gold,
and from among their tribes no one faltered.

Let’s talk about this!

Are you waiting on God for something? Does it feel like you’ve been waiting for ever? Perhaps so long that you’ve begun to wonder if you’re heading in the wrong direction? Join us at Living by Grace as we talk about perseverance and how we can do that during “the waiting period.”

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Writers, this one’s for you. (And to everyone else, don’t check out quite yet. I’m sure you can find a nugget of truth in this post somewhere to carry you through your day.) Today’s devo is similar to Edie’s. It appears patience and faithful obedience is one of the writer’s greatest struggles.

A few months ago, I was presented with two writing opportunities right after all the editor/agent meetings of conference and the resultant manuscript requests. I was placing in contests, waiting to hear back from agents, not knowing what might be expected of me should I sign on, yet I needed to make a decision. I decided on one fairly quickly, and jumped in with both feet. I floundered on the other, living in angst as I sought God’s will. I’d go to church, hear a clear message from the sermon, then get an email that would sway my heart. Indecision made me miserable, and kept me ineffective. I finally decided that “waiting” was a waste of time. I knew God called me to serve, not bide my time for something that might or might not occur. So, I said yes to both opportunities and have not regretted either for a moment. I said yes because I take Ephesians 2:10 and James 4:13-17 very seriously. God’s ways are not my ways and I may not always see the road ahead, but that should never prevent me from stepping forward.

Today’s devo first appeared on the Character Therapist, written by Jeannie Campbell, on November 17th. As you read it, think about the life of Joseph. God gave him a dream in Canaan. I’m certain Joseph never imagined being sold into slavery, transported to Egypt and thrown in a dungeon were part of God’s plan, yet in the end, he said, “God intended it for good, the saving of many lives.” Each leg of the journey was divinely intentional as God molded, guided and equipped Joseph for his future task of reigning over Egypt during a time of famine. As opportunities arise, consider them carefully. True, God has given you a dream and you are to serve Him with faithful obedience, but don’t be so caught up in the dream that you lose sight of the Dream-giver. And always be prepared to take a hard right turn the moment God directs.

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I’ve seen some great posts about how being unpublished is like being single. My friend and fellow blogger Jessica Nelson of BookingIt did a post here on that very topic, and I recently saw a post from Mundania Press, LLC here about how entering a publishing contract is a lot like entering a marriage.

Since I’ve yet to enter the published category in fiction, I’m somewhat of a spectator on the sidelines of publishing. During this time, it’s easy to lament a lack of publishing credits so much that we fail to see what God is doing during our waiting. It’s during the waiting that God strips us of our silly ideals and notions that we have to write a certain thing or present a certain way in order to reach fulfillment.

If we write only third person, stay away from the “edgier” topics, strictly adhere to the no-more-than-3-POVs rule, attend at least one writer’s conference a year…then surely God will honor our righteousness with a publishing contract or at least the interest of an agent. If only we get rid of -lys, passive voice, and show–not tell–then we will be “good enough” for a second glance.

The problem comes once you’ve done all this. You’ve taken online writing courses. You’ve paid for the extra critiques. You’ve entered contests…and even won. You’ve done everything you were told to do by people who have traveled the path before you. But still no “call,” no contract.

In the dating world, this is the equivalent to dieting, exercising, getting contacts, a makeover, and a new hairdo only to sit by the phone, waiting for a potential date to call. You might be tempted to cry yourself to sleep at night, wondering what is wrong with you.

What we fail to see is that there isn’t anything wrong with you or your writing! God just isn’t done teaching you. He’s going to draw out your waiting period as long as it takes for you to realize that not being published isn’t a “problem” and that God is still in control even while you’re waiting.

We can’t lose focus of why we’re writing. If our ultimate goal is to give glory to God, then that can be accomplished published or not. He’s going to be glorified through our persistence and dedication and desire to achieve excellence for Him. Finding fulfillment, completion, and contentment where you are in the journey is crucial to keeping that fulfillment, completion, and contentment after you’ve been blessed with a contract.

We’re not on the hunt for a book deal. We’re on the mission to worship and serve God while we’re waiting. How can you best do that? Here are a couple suggestions to help encourage you in your journey:

  1. Learn scriptures you can hide in your heart, whether your heart is broken, searching, or weary from the wait. Two of my personal favorites are below.
     

    • Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. (Psalm 37:4)
    • “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11)

  2. Have your own personal cheering squad. Writers are like shy adolescents in that we need to hear when we wrote a particularly eloquent phrase or when a metaphor blew someone’s socks off in order to bloom with confidence. We want to know when we made a reader laugh or cry. Your critique group members and close personal friends and relatives hold a large sway over your attitude and motivation as a writer.

I hope that this gives you some ideas of how to maintain a heavenly perspective through the writer’s wait.

Turn your eyes upon Jesus.
Look full in His wonderful face.
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
in the light of His glory and grace.
As you listen to the following song, focus on this line: “I will serve You while I’m waiting.” (Although I would perhaps ask, are we ever truly waiting, or are we to live in the now, fully engaged, fully obedient?)
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Jeannie Campbell is a licensed marriage and family therapist, writer, reader, blogger, wife and mother who plays the piano and loves cats. Visit her blogger profile to find out more about her and visit the the Character Therapist to read more of her writing.

And remember, if you think this post should make it to the top three of 2010, “like” it, fb share it, tweet it or leave a comment, and I’ll tally each tweet, share, like and comment and reveal your top three favs at the end of the month. 🙂 (I might reveal my top three favs, too, which just might be different than yours.)