Nicole feels

As I have expressed here several times, I have been in, as well as some close friends of mine, a time of waiting on God. I recently sent these thoughts to a friend and decided to share them here. Knowing God and how He works, there is someone out there who is playing "the waiting game".

Dear One,

I know you all are in a "holding pattern", so to speak. A time of waiting. I know that until recently, I felt like waiting was inactivity. But check out these definitions for the word wait:

to stay in place in expectation of : AWAIT; to remain stationary in readiness or expectation (wait for a train); to pause for another to catch up -- usually used with up; to look forward expectantly (just waiting to see his rival lose); to hold back expectantly (waiting for a chance to strike); to be ready and available

Wait is an action word! Isn't that cool!? I know it is so hard, but during our times of waiting, God is doing so much, and I am finding that as I wait here for Him to show me His plan, I am able to focus more on abiding with and in Him.

Then I read this just this morning in the Experiencing God Bible Study:

You may think of waiting as a passive, inactive time. Waiting on the Lord is anything but inactive. While you wait on Him, you will be praying with a passion to know Him, His purposes, and His ways. You will be watching circumstances and asking God to interpret them by revealing to you His perspective. You will be sharing with other believers to find out what God is saying to them. As you wait on the Lord, you will be very active in asking, seeking, and knocking (Matt. 7:7-8). While you wait, continue doing the last thing God told you to do. In waiting you are shifting the responsibility of the outcome to God - where it belongs. Then when God gives you specific guidance, He will do through you more in days and weeks than you could ever accomplish in years of labor. Waiting on Him is always worth the wait. (pg. 142)

God does have a plan! I am looking at waiting times so much differently now. I am focusing on abiding in Him (John 15:5). To go from serving in a church at 80 mph to simply "being" has been tough. But, the quiet times are (provided I have nothing between Him and me, of course) those times when He is getting me ready for a greater revelation of Him.

Love, N