Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Posts Tagged ‘waiting on God’

Late Bloomers

Posted in From My Heart, tagged , , on October 6, 2020| Leave a Comment »

 

 

Psalm 92:12-15

12 The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; 13 planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God. 14 They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green, 15 proclaiming, “The Lord is upright; he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him.”

 

I had been waiting all Summer for our Morning Glory to bloom. About the middle of September, I decided that it wasn’t going to happen. I still occasionally took a peek to see if maybe, but I really wasn’t expecting it to happen at this point. AND THEN…IT DID!

It is what is called a late bloomer. I started thinking about how I could be considered a late bloomer. I am 50 and I have yet to live out my purpose/career/mission that many people discover in there 20’s. I have often been envious of those people. They just seemed like they had it all together and I have spent my younger years desperately searching for my “thing”. I am now working hard to start a single mom ministry, but I do still get frustrated because it seems like it is taking forever. My passion for this ministry began in 2006 when I was waist deep in the mud of my own single mom journey. It has taken 14 years to even get to this point. I have had to remind myself that…

ALL GOOD THINGS HAPPEN IN GOD’S TIMING!!!

Maybe…

I had to be pruned

The timing wasn’t right yet

Other people or situations weren’t ready yet

We never know why God holds certain people back. I realize now that it is sometimes less about me and more about circumstances/timing that I have nothing to do with. I have found that I am in good company:

Noah was 500 hundred years old when he started building the Ark

Abram was 75 when God him from his home land to the land of Canaan

Moses was 80 when he led the Israelites out of the promise land

I am waiting patiently for this ministry to take off. In the mean time I write, I create and I pray.

If you are a late bloomer, don’t give up! God has a plan, a purpose and a perfect time to use YOU for His glory! Keep believing, keep deepening your relationship with God and keep praying. The time is coming for you to bloom!

 

Read Full Post »

Day 5: Be Strong And Take Heart

Posted in In The Silence: A Devotional Series, tagged , , , on April 30, 2019| Leave a Comment »

 

Psalm 27:14

Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.

 

The definition of wait is to stay where one is or delay action until a particular time or until something else happens. I must admit that I do not like to wait for anything. Who does? In these days of instant gratification, no one likes to wait for anything. But, sometimes waiting is a good thing. Psalms 27:14 tells us to wait for the Lord. Why do we need to wait for the Lord?

  1. For our own protection– God will at times tell us to wait to keep us out of a harmful or dangerous situation. My daughter Kiowa has always been an passionate runner. Her first marathon was a couple of weeks before her 18th birthday and her goal was to qualify for the Boston Marathon. As she crossed the finish line in a remarkable time of 3 hours and 43 minutes, she already knew that she had missed the qualifying time by 8 minutes. She was disappointed. That year of the Boston Marathon is one no one will forget. It was the year of the Boston bombings. Had Kiowa qualified, we would have been there. Had God not made her wait, who knows what could have happened.
  2. For our own spiritual growth– God will often tell us to wait when we need to grow spiritually. Is the Holy Spirit working on your character? Do you need to learn to pray? Do you need to cultivate a daily habit of digging into God’s word? Do you need to cultivate love in your heart? If you do then God will make you wait.
  3. To prepare the way– There are times when we need to wait for God to prepare the way for us. There are times when the timing is not yet right for us to serve in a specific place or take on a specific ministry opportunity. Sometimes God will ask us to wait a few months or maybe several years. God’s timing is perfect. We may not understand it, but we need to trust that God knows exactly what He is doing.

What can you do if God is asking you to wait?

According to Psalm 27:14 we need to:

Be Strong: the definition of strength is the capacity of an object or substance to withstand great force or pressure. As Christians, we are expected to have an unshakable faith. We are expected to have a faith that is strong enough to withstand the great force of the Devil or the pressure of unbelievers. We need to be willing to be obedient to the Holy Spirit no matter what the situation or how silly we may look. We need to be willing to defend our faith no matter the opposition. We need to able to trust in the wait, knowing that God has everything under control.

Take Heart: To take heart means to be encouraged and made to feel optimistic. When we take heart, we are choosing to be encouraged by the fact that God is control. We are choosing to be optimistic, knowing that God is working everything out for His purpose and in His timing.

We never know when God is going to ask us to wait. If you are in a season of waiting right now, be strong and take heart! God has everything under control. He hasn’t forgotten you. He hasn’t abandoned you. He maybe working behind the scenes, but He is still working. Keep growing in your faith, so that you will be unshakable when that great force of opposition comes against you. Be encouraged! Remember:

Romans 8:28

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

 

 

 

 

 

Read Full Post »

A Purpose and a Call

Posted in From My Heart, tagged , , , , , on February 22, 2017| Leave a Comment »

Our calling

 

Matthew 28:18-20

18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” 

Luke 19:10

For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

The Purpose

I have lived my life wondering what my “purpose in life” is. I know I’m not alone in this. I think it is something most of us wonder about. It seems to be that ever elusive question, “What is the purpose of life?” I have spent years chasing my tail, running after this and that wondering if “it” was my purpose, only to be left discouraged and frustrated in the end.

So, What is our purpose in life? Our one purpose as humans is to have a relationship with our Savior, Jesus Christ. God does not want any to perish but to repent (2 Peter 3:9) and accept Jesus as the ONE and ONLY Savior.

When we accept Jesus as our Savior and make the decision to live for Him, we are given one further purpose: to make disciples. We read in Luke 19:10 that Jesus came to seek and save the lost and we are here for the same reason. We are here to share the Gospel of Jesus, make disciples, and teach new disciples to obey everything that Jesus commanded us. This is it. This is our purpose.

The Call

We now know what our purpose is. Next, we need to figure out how we are going to live that out in our daily lives. That is our call. Some people are called to full-time ministry and some people are called to secular jobs. We are all called to different types of work based on our spiritual gifts and skills. God has a place for each one of us. He calls us to different jobs and places so that ALL people will have a chance to hear the Word and accept Jesus as their Savior.

There are many times when God calls us to minister to others from our pain. If we have struggled with grief, poverty, a divorce, etc. God can call us from our pain and use that pain to bring others to Him. We have to be willing to let Him. We have to be willing to step outside of ourselves and trust God to take our pain and transform hearts through our obedience.

I also believe that our calling changes, as the seasons in our life change. As we grow and mature in Jesus, He calls us to different jobs and different places. What we were called to in our twenties, may not be what we are called to in our forties. Life has a way of changing us. And then there are those who have felt for a lifetime that they are working outside of their calling. That would be me. Working menial jobs, knowing that I was called to full-time ministry. Why would God give me this burning desire in my heart and never open a door to full-time ministry? I believe He is molding my character. He is teaching me to bloom where I am planted. Even if you work at McDonalds for now, allow God to use you to make disciples of those around you. You may be waiting (patiently or impatiently) for God to open a door to full-time ministry, but be faithful where you are now. Share the Gospel of Jesus where you are now and I guarantee that God will open the door in HIS timing. I know how hard it is. I’m still waiting. I faithfully write this blog. I love writing this blog. This is probably the one thing that gets me through the days I have to work. I try to be patient and I use the time to grow ever closer to my loving God, because I trust that one day He will open a door to full-time ministry with single moms.

We have ONE purpose: to make disciples. If you are living out your God-given calling, that is AWESOME! If you are working a job that you are merely existing at, waiting for that door to open, don’t give up! If you know what your calling is and are just waiting for an open door, use this waiting time to prepare yourself. Do your research on the field. Dig into the Word and pray, pray, pray. Don’t forget to use this time to make disciples where you are. Even if we aren’t living in our calling, God expects us to bloom where we are planted and that includes making disciples where we are.

When I start a blog post, I am never really sure where it is going to go. I start writing what God puts on my heart and let Him take over. Usually, what comes out teaches me more than anything. I am sitting here with tears in my eyes, because I now get what God has been trying to tell me. In my obedience I gain wisdom. Don’t you love how that works! I hope that in some small way, I have helped you gain perspective on why God does what He does. If you have any questions on your God-given call or need prayer to get through the waiting period, I am always here. fill out the contact form on my contact page or leave me a comment below. Just know that God has NOT abandoned you in this waiting time. He is simply molding you into the vessel He can use for something bigger. Be obedient in this time and He WILL open the door to your heart’s desire.

 

 

Read Full Post »

Learning To Wait

Posted in My Daily Life, tagged , , , , on April 13, 2016| Leave a Comment »

waiting for the Lord

 

Exodus 14:13-14

13 Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. 14 The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”

Psalms 46:10

10 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations,  I will be exalted in the earth.”

Psalm 37:7

7 Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.

I have always had this tendency to head for the hills as soon as life gets tough. I have always had a hard time with staying put and trusting God to work things out. I have always had a hard time trusting that God would fight for me. I try to control my own destiny when I think things aren’t going the way I think they should. Needless to say, my attempts to control my destiny usually end in disaster. It would be so much easier if I would just listen to God and obey His will for my life. Life gets messy. Sometimes we are surrounded by chaos and despair. Sometimes we are oppressed by our circumstances. That is life in a fallen world. How do we fight that urge to run when life gets tough?

  1. Pray– Pray that God will reveal what it is He wants you to do in your situation. Pray for patience and courage. Pray for deliverance. Prayer keeps us connected to God’s heart, which is essential when we are dealing with a difficult situation. Pour out your heart to God on a daily basis. Our heavenly Father is listening and He cares about what you are going through.
  2. Serve– Find a way to serve in your community while you wait for God to act. Serving in any capacity is a way to minister to someone else who may be dealing with their own difficulties. Instead of wallowing in our troubles, helping to alleviate the stress in someone else’s life will often bring us hope in our own lives.
  3. Community– Build a support system. Find other people who are going through a similar situation. Often times, simply knowing that we aren’t alone in our circumstances gives us comfort.
  4. Grow– Many times, God keeps us in the fire to teach us something we need to learn in order to move on in His will. Take this time to figure out what it is that God wants you to learn. Make the choice to grow despite the trials of life.

I know first hand how hard it is to sit and wait for God to act. We want things done NOW! Waiting for God can be painful. Trusting Him can be hard. Surrendering my life to Him has been the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. I still struggle to control circumstances in my life. I still find myself looking for greener pastures. I am learning to grow in my own messy circumstances. I am learning to serve from my own chaos. I am learning to find community in the midst of my despair. I am learning to pray and trust God to work in my life as He sees fit. I am learning to be still and let God fight for me. As I grow from my circumstances, I will keep you updated here. Through my mess, I am determined to become a willing vessel that God can use, right where I am.

Read Full Post »