I’m going to give you a glimpse into what is happening in the very moments that I am writing this blog. It is 12:56 pm on Monday afternoon. I am sitting at my kitchen table on my laptop, staring at a blank page and feeling nervous that I don’t have a clear sense of what God wants me to write in this blog post. I’m also aware of competing responsibilities for today, that my children will arrive home at 3:30, that we have gymnastics practice, homework, and dinner… Sometimes I sit down with a very clear sense of where God is leading, and other times, well, it’s like today.
Let me give you a little background to this picture. Over the past week, knowing that I have a blog due this Tuesday, I’ve been seeking God in prayer, worshipping, listening intently as to what He would have me write about. There have been a few thoughts that have been in my mind, areas that God has been impressing on my heart that are clearly significant and meaningful, and things that He would want me to press into and to encourage others in…but as intensely significant as the messages seem, I also feel like He is saying, “Lindsay, wait on Me”.
I’m sure there are many reasons God asks me to wait, but I have noticed that sometimes I hear this from God when I have an incomplete understanding of what He is saying to me. One reason that I may have an incomplete idea of what He is saying to me is because I am often in the thick of my sanctification process on those specific issues, and He knows that my words would be insufficient if not outright harmful to the body of Christ if I did not wait until His timing matched His message.
I will readily admit that there would be some sense of finality that would feel relieving for me to simply write on one of those topics and hope for the best. Kind of like the equivalent of a buzzer beater shot at a basketball game, “Here goes nothing… I guess if God wants it to work out, it’ll work out.” Please hear me - I do believe that God can redeem everything and anything to bring about His kingdom purposes, but I also believe that there is spiritual wisdom and a deeper intimacy with God conveyed by not just asking the question “God, is this the right message?” but also asking “God, is this the right timing?”
I’m learning to love when I hear God tell me to “wait”. Trust me, it’s not always a default reaction to that command, but it often develops into a precious reminder of God’s love for His people and God’s protection over His flock. It also creates a sense of expectancy within myself related to God’s promise to never forsake me as He helps me to work out my salvation with fear and trembling.
I am very aware that the same message given to the same person, at different points in their life, can create VERY different outcomes. I see this all the time in the counseling room. You see, God’s not just sanctifying and refining you in this process, He is also working in the heart of the hearer, preparing them to be able to receive His message. I’m reminded of the parable of the sower in Matthew 13. It isn’t the focal point of the parable, but if the sower was sowing seed that was not yet ready or prepared to be sown, it would have never created a crop; it would be incomplete, not useful, because it has not had time to be properly prepared. The seed is still the same, it’s the timing of the process that is off. Likewise, God is at work, according to His will, creating fertile soil so that His message can take root and His name can be glorified above all else.
It’s 2:23 now. God has soothed all worry and thoughts about competing responsibilities and timelines, and given me rest from the familiar question of “what do I write, God?” from this past week. As I re-read and prayed over these words before sending them off, I am struck by God’s faithfulness and His love in the lesson of waiting by not answering my prayers in the way I had hoped at the outset of this blog, and I pray that you are equally as blessed by His faithfulness.
—Lindsay Thompson
