I remember a song I used to hear when I was a little girl titled, "When the Lord gets ready, you've got to move!"
I was sitting in service at Urban Empowerment this past Sunday, thinking, "Lord why do you have me in a season of waiting?" It feels awful to cognitively realize that you cannot move. But there is such a lesson in being still and I so need to hear from God right now and learn what I need to learn in this season.
God gave me some encouragement to help me through my waiting and I hope that sharing it with you will also helping you if you are in a season of waiting too. He told me that there are somethings that I need to stop doing, there are somethings that I need to start doing and there are some things that He will do.
Stop wondering why you have to wait and why you are where you are. I have a friend who has found richness in stopping to pick up coins. He says that it's really not even about the coin at all. It is about being obedient to God to stop, reach down and pick it up. I found that interesting because that's how God works with us right? I mean we see something that catches our attention. We have the option to stop and address it or to keep going on past it. When we stop and address it, say bend down to pick up a coin, we never know what we just ducked from and missed as a result of our obedience and to boot, we are now richer and more edified for having been obedient. God places us strategically where we are for His glory and for our edification. So instead of asking God why you're stuck where you are . . .
Start asking God what you need to learn while you are where you are. God is trying to get you to gain something. He is trying to add something to your life. He is trying to prepare you for your next move. Rest. Be still and she His salvation. And while you are in the midst of learning what you need to learn and being prepared for your next level . . .
Stop telling everyone else around you about your credentials, your background, your qualifications, your education and your expertise. Evidently, all of that is not what you need to get to your next level. We desire to glow, go and grow, but God has to qualify you for His promises and His blessing so until He refines you, learn to be still and take the heat. Stop trying to rush God. He knows how old you are, He knows your biological clock is ticking, He knows you feel lonely - maybe He does too. Maybe He misses intimate time with you. He knows you're awake in the midnight hour, He's the one who woke you up to get you on your knees and in His word so that you would spend some quality time building a meaningful relationship with Him that will allow Him to move on your behalf. He's trying to purge you of your old mind and stinking thinking. He's trying to help you by allowing the Holy Ghost to sit on you in your loneliness. He's trying to make you over again. He's trying to restore your finances. He's trying to get you to pray. He's trying to get you to put off your old ways so that you can be prepared for your new spouse, your new car or your new house. God is trying to work. LET HIM!!! And while you are allowing God to work on you, you will find that you are . . .
Starting to be patient. Recall the story of Abraham and Sarah. God promised Abraham that he would be the father of many nations and that his seed would be innumerable like the sand on the sea shore. Abraham shared this promise with Sarah and they knew it was going to happen. See God will reveal your end to you. He will show you the promise. What He doesn't reveal is what you have to go through to get to the promise because if you knew you wouldn't endure it. God is always working things out for your good and for His glory. This is a principle that we need to grasp because when we neglect to grasp it we create issues for ourselves that interfere with the timely delivery and enjoyment of our promises. Remember that Abraham was 100 and Sarah was 90 years old when the promise of Isaac was delivered. The issue though was that before the promise, Sarah looked her her situation with natural eyes. She thought about it. She looked that the logic of it and decided that the promise was true, but maybe she wasn't going to be the vehicle. So she offered her hand maiden to her husband. But what happened in Sarah's impatience is that she didn't allow God to work in His time and in His way. God meant for Abraham's seed to be born into freedom. Haggar was a bondwoman. Her child was the child of a servant. That's not what God destined for Abraham. And I imagine that as long as there was no Isaac, Ishmael was cool. Sarah watched him grow and may even have loved him. But when her promise showed up, Ishmael became a problem. This is what God so wants us to avoid because we can get ourselves into some Ishmael situations that we may never get out of. Our Ishmael may cause our promise to be delayed or may make it not as enjoyable. Eventually, Sarah wanted Haggar and Ishmael to go away.
Interestingly, in this blog about waiting, you also need to be able to recognize when it is your turn to go! Hence the song, "When the Lord gets ready, you've got to move!" It is through prayer, supplication, meditation on the Word, speaking the Word, declaring the Word aloud, applying the Word and living the Word that we learn to recognize our diving appointments. We must keep them. Each is a building block and a proving ground. If we want to really experience the favor of God, we have to know when He is moving and nudging us to move and we have to be ready, willing and able to move when He says to do so.
Ask God today what you need to learn while you are where you are and when He wants you to move.
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