Waiting can be a challenge. What are you waiting for? Are you hopeful for a new job? A new relationship? Renewal in an old relationship? A baby? A new body? Deep friendships? Are you waiting for God to do something to grab you and inspire you? I don’t know what you are waiting on…but I know that whatever it is, you likely find it consuming your thoughts and eating away at you sometimes.
Sanctuary is in a season of waiting too. We are waiting together for a glimpse at what God has for us. I hope that in this season of waiting, you will wait with God instead of for Him. Consider what that might mean…that instead of praying for God to hurry up and do something, that you might sit and spend time with Him – sharpening your listening skills as you attempt to hear His Holy Spirit speak to you. Waiting with God is much more difficult for me than waiting for Him. I am an expert at waiting for him, I chat with God all the time, as I go through my day it’s sort of an ongoing conversation. I sometimes think “wow, I do such a great job of connecting with God, I do it all the time!” Then, every so often, I am really challenged to realize that talking with God is just one aspect of developing our relationship. If I’m going to really fall in love with Him, understand His character, connect with Him…I’ve got to do more than chat away. I would challenge you again as I did last month to dig deeper into His Word; to work hard to develop keen ‘spiritual ears’ so that as He speaks to you - and to us collectively, we hear His voice. My prayer is that we’ll be ready so that when our direction becomes clear, our waiting will have been time well spent. I want to hear His voice in the days and weeks ahead. I want Sanctuary to be listening for His voice together.
How can you begin to make this a reality? Are you in a life group? If not, I would challenge you to find one, and don’t just go – really invest yourself in gaining a deep understanding of God’s truth, and supporting the believers in your group. Are you confused about this spiritual journey that God has you on? Reach out and ask someone to walk with you for a season. Send me an e-mail and we’ll work together to find the perfect person to partner with you. Do you want to prepare yourself for support and mentorship? Join us for the study of Verna Birkey’s book, Women Connecting Women – we’ll complete the study between Aug. 10th and Sept. 20th as part of our mentorship ministry (if you missed the start, and still want to participate – let me know, you can jump in along the way!)
I am praying for you in the waiting…and I hope you’ll do the same for me. My excitement about what God is doing in the hearts of the people at Sanctuary grows every day, and I want to be ready!
Much love,
Laurie
