I wrote a missions focused blog the other day. It describes my current season and attempts to discuss how I’m processing. It was my second attempt to put this all into words. I decided to separate this out and give more focus to the Word and what I’m learning from the Lord.
You likely noticed the title, “Learning to wait well.” Before you read further, take some time to journal what this means to you and what that looks like in your personal season of life before reading on.
I have felt paused lately. Things started moving quickly, I was approved as a missionary associate, I had a “last” holiday season here with family before starting my term in Africa, I trained a new children’s director to take my place, I was itinerating, pre-field orientation was awesome, I was making connections. Then… Stop! You can read more details of this in the link below this paragraph on my last missions blog. I started feeling like I don’t know how to move forward. Prior to the Corona virus I knew the plan and knew how to itinerate (well, I knew the general idea). But no one has ever itinerated through a pandemic or been in this place before. So, now what? Pause.
At the beginning of this year I felt my “theme” for the year was “Be Still” little did I know how literally that would apply. I also am meditating on something a friend told me this week, wait well. Wait well. When my friend said this to me I almost asked them to stop talking for a few minutes so I could process the weight of these two words. I’ve been learning a lot, processing a lot, thinking a lot, and I want to share this. I just wanted to write my process this season. Maybe you’re in a similar waiting season, or are navigating disappointment. God hasn’t left us, He hasn’t failed and isn’t sleeping.
“God is our refuge and strength (mighty and impenetrable), a very present and well-proved help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change and though the mountains be shaken and slip into the heart of the seas, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its roaring. Selah.
There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy dwelling places of the Most High. God is in the midst of her (His city), she will not be moved; God will help her when the morning dawns. The nations made an uproar, the kingdoms tottered and were moved; He raised His voice, the earth melted. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold (our refuge, our high tower). Selah.
Come, behold the worlds of the Lord, who has brought desolations and wonders on the earth. He makes wars to cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow into pieces and snaps the spear in two; He burs the chariots with fire. ‘Be still and know (recognize, understand: that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations! I will be exalted in the earth.’ The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold (our refuge, our high tower). Selah.”
Psalm 46
Selah. Pause.
Even here, even when we are asked to wait, even when we are discouraged, even when our plans are thrown out… He is our refuge, strength, present, mighty, impenetrable, stronghold, high tower. He is in our midst, He will help us. Be still and know. Selah, friends. Wait well. Pause. Choose to focus on God in this. Instead of keeping our eyes on what we had planned, what we expected things to look like, what we thought would be happening, how we thought everything would go. Let’s take our eyes off of ourselves and put them on Christ. He is our Answer.
The past few days I’ve had three conversations that have had a similar theme and tone. In these conversations I’ve mentioned bits of what I’m processing and I want to share some “nuggets” that stuck out to me.
“The Lord sent the Israelites the long way. There was a shorter way, but they weren’t ready for that.”
Read Psalm 107: 1-11
I don’t know what all will happen in my future or while I’m in Africa. Let’s be real, I don’t know what will happen tomorrow or even in the next hour. But God does. He knows what I will face and what I will need. He knows what you will face and what you will need, too. There was a shorter way for all of this. Knock out Covid. He is able, He could have done that. But He didn’t. He knows and He sees.
“The Israelites had to wander until everything in them that longed for Egypt was gone.”
Read Psalm 107:12-43
I feel like each of these points could be a blog post, or sermon, of their own. This one especially. During this conversation with a friend they said, “We have been seeking and asking the Lord to rid us of every carnal thing, purify us, cleanse us of every impurity. He’s just doing what we’ve asked.” Many of us have more time on our hands than we’ve had in years. I know that’s true for me. While we have this extra time to think and be home, will we choose to worry, fear, be anxious, tremble at what we hear, or will we choose to walk in joy? Our Hope, our Answer, our Comfort needs to be found in Jesus. Not this world. How long will we wander, choosing the world, until we realize, we had the Answer all along…
“Manna for today.”
“So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matthew 6:34
The Israelites asked for provision, food. Some strange something showed up. Manna literally means, “What is this?” Have you asked that question lately? “What is this?!” “What is going on?” But do you have today what you need today? I don’t know about you but I’m a planner. I like to know what I’ll be doing and when. Already I’m trying to figure out or get some kind of insight on whatI’ll be doing in two years after my term in Togo. The Lord told the Israelites to only take what they needed for today. Those who tried to store up for tomorrow, the Manna was spoiled and rotten. What happens when we worry abotu tomorrow? Our today gets spoiled and rotten. I’m not saying don’t hae some kind of idea for the future, like I said, I knew what was going to be a missionary to Africa since I was a teenager. But don’t become so consumed with it that you don’t choose joy for today.
“We need to wait well.”
Read Isaiah 40
When my friend said this I almost asked them to stop talking for a second so I could process this for a few minutes. Later that day I spent some time journaling and asked myself the question, “What does it look like to wait well?” I asked you the same question at the beginning of this post. My answer was “being intentional with how I spend this season.” Then I got to thinking about seasons and remembered my theme for this year, Be Still. How interesting that I’m feeling like I’m “paused” and I have “more time on my hands” and my theme for the year is to be still. Y’all, God knows what he is doing… while we wait, while we are in transition, while we are at home a bit more, whatever our “waiting” looks like, we need to do it well. We need to wait with excellence to the Lord. We need to choose Him.
“Be Intentional.”
Read Romans 12
In the same vein of waiting well, we need to be intentional. When I start to get discouraged about what itineration and this season looks like for me. Will I choose to whine about it to a friend or will I choose to fill my time with the Word, prayer, and worship so that I can be closer to the Lord and learn to turn to Him, not others. When I get news or a discouraging message about someone will I choose to worry, be anxious, fear the future or will I choose to ask the Lord for a Rhema word from Him and stand on Scripture knowing Who I serve. Will I sit back and watch more Netflix than ever before and fall into temptations from my past while I have more time on my hands or will I choose to actively create the habit of turning to the Word, spending time with Jesus, building relationships, encouraging people around me, worshipping my Savior. I want to be intentional in everything I do.
“Be Still.”
Read Psalm 46-49
Finally, my least favorite. Be still. Waiting well, being intentional, and being still are all very similar to me. But, being still is a struggle. Why? I think it’s often the hardest because being still allows the Lord to speak, that is, if we take this literally and focus on being still and quiet in His presence. A lot of times when we get still the Holy Spirit begins to reveal things to us that we need to change, adjust, or do. If I get still and the Lord says, “put down xyz thing you’ve picked up and spend more quiet time with me” my “go, go, go” flesh isn’t going to like that very much. I’m not going to want to hear it. But, He knows what I need. If He is asking me to wait, pause, be still, shouldn’t I listen? If He is asking the same of you, shouldn’t you listen?
We need to take our focus off thinking that we have the answer, we have the plan, we know best or better. We don’t He does. Let’s intentionally choose to wait well in this season. I’m going to pray for you, that God opens your eyes at every point in your day where He is asking you to be still. That He gives you a rhema word to hold onto. That He encourages you and you are reminded that He is for you, He sees you, He is here, He cares, and He has you in the palm of His hand.
Thank you for reading. Thank you for hearing my heart.
I love this; both of the related blog entries. Funny, as I was reading and before I got to where you wrote it, I kept thinking ‘selah’. I think of it too as pause/stop. I briefly did a word search on it and found some scholars translate it as intermission. I like that. We think of intermission as a break for refreshment and relief between the main show. How appropriate that we would need this before God calls us to uproot and make a major life change. He knows even where the selahs belong on our journies.
So well said!