Knowing What To Do In-The-Meantime
Have you ever had to wait?
Whether it was at a hospital, at the doctor's office, at the auto shop waiting for your catalytic converter to be replaced, waiting for the elevator to reach your floor, or waiting in line while holding a little red basket full of over-priced groceries -- we've ALL waited for something!
Depending on your mood -- whether you were in a rush or if you were just plain tired -- whatever you were waiting for made you contemplate the F word...
...and that word is FLESH!
Your flesh starts flaring up, making you frustrated, annoyed, mad, tired, or all of the above! All of those different emotions can lead to impulsive actions, thoughts of giving up "the wait", or walking away entirely...
The same can be said for when we are waiting on God to move on our behalf in a situation.
That money problem.
That spousal situation.
That physical complication.
That issue with that one friend.
The list of what we are waiting for God to do goes on and on...
Where you are in your journey with God will determine how you handle the "waiting rooms" of Life. Like Pastor Paul says: if you have peace about a situation, even if it doesn't make sense, God has spoken.
What does this mean?
If God has spoken over a situation, you should be ok with waiting, right? In an ideal world, YES. Realistically -- it isn't easy to stay on course.
"The Spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak." - Matthew 26:41
Your patience may be on its last leg -- hanging on its last thread of hope. Your flesh turns the volume up on your emotions, urging you to take action into your own hands. Does this mindset sound familiar?
When I think of a Believer waiting, I think of Abraham & Sarah. Their waiting went from weeks to months, to years. Honestly, waiting can feel like going through the 5-stages-of-grief, just to exit it and enter it again. When does the cycle end?
Pastor Paul is infamous for saying, "When I really say 'me' when I'm talking, I really mean 'you'".
In this case, I'll use that phrase in reverse: "When I say 'you', I'm really talking about ME!" I've gone through a sea of emotions, even being UPSET with My Heavenly Dad. I've felt my flesh pushing me to move on my own volition, and ended up obeying my flesh -- and making a mess! All that rushing delayed the miracle I was waiting for. I thank God for loving me beyond my impatience, and although my blessing may have been delayed -- it isn't denied...
I'm still a work in progress.
I'm learning how to wait with a patient heart, as opposed to waiting with the wrong heart posture.
"But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength -- they shall mount up on wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint." - Isaiah 40:31
Through Pastor's teachings, I'm learning what to do in the in-the-meantime...
What should you do? Wait.
But wait with expectancy. There's power in an expectant heart that's faithfully waiting on God. I recall a sermon where Pastor Mitchell spoke about getting the things we want, and if we're at a place of maturity to receive them, we can destroy and distort it once we get them.
My spiritual posture is important to me in receiving what I'm waiting for.
While I wait, what is my heart posture saying? Am I complaining, pleading, and annoyed? If so, how am I preparing myself for what's to come? How can I edify myself, mature, grow, and be ready for when the manifestation occurs if I'm just fixated on the waiting? It's quite simple: I can't.
What can you do? Position yourself.
Get in your Word, familiarize yourself with your Heavenly Dad's promises for your life. Read scriptures in your waiting season, and be sure to read them praising God for what's to come. Do you have a home church? GO TO IT! Your man or woman of God may have words of key revelation for you. God isn't obligated to send a word for you through your spiritual leader if you don't go to the brook to get it.
I remember one time learning this lesson myself. I can recall a sermon that I felt wasn't necessarily for me that particular Sunday and didn't think it was applicable to the STORM I was going through in my life at that time. Not only that, but I didn't even want to get out of bed, but I managed to get up, get out, and walk through CLCC's front doors just in time for Pastor Paul to begin teaching.
While teaching, Pastor literally stopped what he was saying, and said, "I don't know who this is for...", and proceeded to say a key revelation that was 100% applicable to my situation. There's no way he could've known what I was going through -- but the Holy Spirit did. Pastor repeated a few more times what the Holy Spirit was telling him, then kindly went back to his teaching subject.
Imagine if I would've missed that Sunday service. Would I have ever gotten comfort and instruction on how to get out of that dark season I was in?
Since we will all have to wait for something at some point in our lives, let's make a plan on how to maintain a positive spiritual posture, and wait like a champ:
Stay In The Word
Meditate on scripture that speaks directly to your situation.
Redeem The Time
Spend less time complaining, and more time cultivating your relationship with God. Spend undistracted alone time praying His Word back to Him, and tell Him what you're feeling
Prepare Yourself
Is what you're waiting for aligned with God's Will, or just something you think you want?
Envision yourself getting what you're waiting for, and write 1 thing you can do to prepare for it. Ask Yourself: what's my human responsibility? What can I do in the physical realm to help prepare myself?
Speak With A Trusted Source
A parent, your spouse, a close sibling, a best friend, that one cousin -- whoever you trust the most -- and speak with them about your situation. Ask them to pray with you concerning your situation.
Listen
Pray, then be still. Give the Holy Spirit a chance to speak to your heart by quietly listening, because the Holy Spirit may be trying to speak to you right then and there.
So there you have it: practical things I do when I get antsy while waiting for God. Now you have an applicable plan to wait in patience and a healthy sense of expectancy. Take heart -- God's timing is always worth what seems like a delay...
On Your Mark...Get Set...WAIT!
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Nicole Blair
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