The Spiritual Discipline No One Talks About: Waiting

Waiting is one of the hardest things we do as believers. We know how to pray. We know how to worship. We know how to serve. We can even learn to fast. But waiting? Waiting feels like doing nothing. We pray, then we wait for the answer. We ask God for direction and then we wait for clarity. We believe him for breakthrough, and then we wait for the door to open. And sometimes, the waiting seems to stretch on far longer than we expected. But what if waiting isn't wasted time? What if it is actually a spiritual discipline? 

Scripture is filled with people who had to wait. Abraham waited for the promised son. Joseph waited through years of slavery and imprisonment before seeing God's purpose unfold. David was anointed king long before he actually sat on the throne. Even Jesus spent years in preparation before beginning his public ministry. 

God does some of his deepest work in us while we're waiting for him to do something around us. Waiting teaches us to trust when we don't have answers. It teaches us patience when we want immediate results. It teaches us obedience when we don't know what comes next. And perhaps most importantly, waiting reminds us that God's timing is not the same thing as God's absence. 

Sometimes we think nothing is happening because we can't see anything happening. But roots grow in the dark. God may be preparing circumstances, preparing other people, or- perhaps most importantly- preparing us. So what do we do when we're waiting? We serve. 

When you find yourself in a season of waiting, so what waiters do...serve. 

Don't put your life on hold because you're waiting for the next chapter. Serve where you are. Love the people in front of you. Do the work God has already placed in your hands. Encourage someone who is struggling. Show up. Pray. Be faithful in the small things. 

You may be waiting for the right job, the right relationship, healing, an answer to prayer, a prodigal child to come home, a dream to become reality, or simply some clarity about what comes next. But when you're waiting for that, there is still a today to live. And today matters. Paul tells us in Galatians 6:9 not to become weary in doing good, because in due time we will reap a harvest if we don't give up. 

Notice that phrase: in due time. Not our time. Not our preferred time. His time. 

Waiting requires us to trust that God knows what we don't and sees what we cannot see. Maybe your season of waiting isn't an interruption to what God is doing. Maybe it is part of what God is doing so don't waste your waiting. Let God develop your character while you wait for the answer. Let Him deepen your faith while you wait for the breakthrough. Let him teach you contentment while you wait for the next opportunity. And while you wait, keep serving. 

Because faithfulness doesn't begin when the answer arrives. Faithfulness is what we practice while we're waiting for it. 

Reflection: What are you waiting for right now? Instead of asking only, "Will this season end?" ask, "What is God inviting me to learn, become, or do while I am here?"

But Even If

By: Jenifer Metzger

If the God we serve exists, then He can rescue

us from the furnace of blazing fire, and He can

rescue us from the power of you, the king. But

even if He does not rescue us, we want you as

king to know that we will not serve your gods

or worship the gold statue you set up.

Daniel 3:17-18 CSB

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego -three men forced by a king to bow down and worship his golden statue. Yet, they know they are only called to worship God. But disobeying the king's command will ultimately result in death. So these three men must make a decision. Do we obey the earthly king and go against God, yet live or do we obey our Heavenly King and die?

We read in Daniel 3 that the men choose to obey God over the king. We don't see a struggle. We don't see them going back and forth. We don't see a torment as they decide what they should do. I don't think it was a hard decision or even a question for them. They simply do not bow down.

Their disobedience to the king meant they were thrown into the fiery furnace. But first he gave them another chance to bow to him. They made it very clear they would not bow him, even if it meant they died. This enraged the king so much so that he demanded the the furnace be heated seven times hotter than normal, then, he had them thrown in.

You probably know how the story goes. The men are bound and thrown in the furnace, but soon it is discovered they are not only still alive, but they are not harmed in any way, and there is a fourth man in the fire with them!

What I want us to look at today are the words of the men before facing death: "Even if He does not rescue us..." Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had faith that God absolutely could rescue them from this earthly death. Yet, they also knew God didn't have to and may choose not to. But they still choose obedience to God, no matter what the outcome would be.

Let's look at this in our own lives.

God tells us to give our last fifty dollars to someone who needs food. We have no idea if God will replace that fifty dollars. He absolutely can, but what if He doesn't? Do we tighten our grip on the money or say, "Even if He does not, I will obey"?

God tells us to go over and talk to that rude neighbor who is always causing problems. We have no idea if God will soften his heart or if he'll just yell at us once again. Do we ignore the nudge of God or say, "Even if He does not, I will obey"?

God tells us to apologize to that friend we had a falling out with. We have no idea if God is restoring this relationship or if our apology will be met with more hatred. Do we ignore God or say, "Even if He does not, I will obey"?

We can apply this to so many areas of life. Think of your own life. Where have you felt the Lord telling you to do something. Have you obeyed even if you don't know the outcome, even if God doesn't play things out the way you want, even if God doesn't rescue you?

Our faith and obedience go hand in hand. We can't have faith in God if we refuse to obey Him. They two work together. No matter what we are facing, we have to let our faith fuel our obedience and say, "Even if, I will obey,"

Discussion:
1. Think of your life. Where has God called you to obedience and you let fear or uncertainty win out?
2. Where is God calling you to obedience now?

Fruits of the Spirit Series: Goodness

 By: Rebekah Hargraves

Photo Courtesy of: Nathan Lemon

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness..."

~Galatians 5:22

In our ongoing series on the fruits of the Spirit, we come this week to the fruit of goodness. As with each of the other fruits, we need to know God's definition of what this fruit is and what He means by it. Because, as you may have noticed, we live in a time when everyone has an opinion on what is "good" - and how they are defining it may not actually be what God defines as good! 

We see this phenomenon described in Isaiah 5:20 - "Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!"

Similarly, Proverbs 14:12 says, "There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death."

It is no small thing when we become mistaken on what is and is not truly good. It can even become a life and death issue.

So how are we to know what is good and what isn't?

Well, for one thing, the fruits of the Spirit are cultivated in us as we walk by the Spirit. So if we are walking in close relationship with Him, we can rest assured that He will cultivate in us true goodness. 

What does walking by the Spirit look like?

It looks like spending time in the Word and in prayer. The more we speak to Him and hear from Him, the better able we will be to discern His voice and to be able to separate out truth from error. 

In addition to these spiritual practices that are of foremost importance, one final thing I want to say about how we are able to discern what is truly good is this: "Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety." (Proverbs 11:14)  The book of Proverbs also tells us that friendships are to be as iron that sharpens iron. It is so important to have a community of wise, godly friends who are daily walking with the Lord, in step with the Spirit, and can therefore help us to discern good from evil, as well.

If we follow these practices, we will be able to discern what is truly good even while living in a time and culture as confusing as ours is.

Reflection Questions:

1) What stood out to you about today's study?

2) Has there been a time in your life when the Lord taught you that something you thought was good actually wasn't?

3) How can you be a wise counselor for your friends? 

The Collector of Tears

 By: Joanne Viola

 

There are days I wonder my own existence, perhaps it happens to you as well. Maybe the questions begin as age creeps up on us.

• What am I here for?
• Have I done all that I can for God?
• Does God see me when I cry?

The  thoughts come flooding, each one bringing the reassurance how much I, and each of one of us, matter to the God who created all things.

Our God delights in each one of us, tending to us with the utmost care. He has been aware of and seen every sorrow and hurt we have experienced.

He collects our tears. Every tear we have ever shed, He has stored in a bottle.

“You keep track of all my sorrows. 
You have collected all my tears in your bottle. 
You have recorded each one in your book.” 
(Psalm 56:8, NLT)

Not one tear has hit the ground, gone unseen, or been forgotten. Each tear – valuable and precious – captured, collected, and stored for all of time because each of us matter to Him.

For Him, each tear – a reminder – of the day when He will tend to our very last tear.

“And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, 
“Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, 
and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, 
and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; 
and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; 
the first things have passed away.” 
(Revelation 21:3-4, NASB)

Our God –
the collector of tears,
until He wipes the very last one.

 

Reflection: 
How do you remind yourself that your tears matter to our God? Today remember He has seen each tear, and each one matters to Him.

 

Photo by kilarov on Unsplash

 

 

 

Saying "No" Without Guilt

 

By Sarah Rudd

There is a particular kind of guilt that seems to follow women around. It shows up when we turn down an invitation. When we don't volunteer. When we can't help. When we choose our family over another obligation. When we finally admit, "I just don't have the capacity for that right now." And somehow, even when we know we have a perfectly good reason to say no, we still feel like we need to explain ourselves. So, we apologize, second-guess, and sometimes, we say yes anyway. But what if saying no isn't a failure of faithfulness? What if sometimes saying no is actually an act of wisdom? 

Jesus was compassionate, generous, and constantly available to people in need. Yet He still walked away from the crowds. He still made time to pray. He still knew when it was time to move on to the next place. He didn't allow every need around Him to dictate His assignment. If Jesus didn't meet every need, we shouldn't expect ourselves to either. 

There will always be another need, another request, another opportunity, another person who could use our help. And if we aren't careful, we can spend our entire lives responding to everyone else's needs while neglecting the people and responsibilities God has actually entrusted to us. 

Sometimes we say yes because we genuinely want to help. But sometimes we say yes because we're afraid of disappointing someone. That's different. A yes motivated by love is beautiful. A yes motivated by guilt will eventually leave you exhausted, resentful, and wondering why everyone else's needs seem to matter more than our own. We need to learn the difference. 

Saying no doesn't make you selfish. It doesn't mean you don't care. It doesn't mean you're less spiritual. It doesn't mean you've stopped being generous. It means you recognize that you have limits. And having limits isn't a character flaw. It's part of being human. 

You don't have to explain every no. You don't have to make someone agree with your decision. You don't have to convince them that your reason is important enough. Sometimes, "I'm not able to take that on right now" is enough.  And yes, someone may be disappointed. 

Let them be. 

Someone else's disappointment doesn't automatically mean you've done something wrong. That may be one of the hardest lessons for a woman with a servant's heart to learn. We can love people without being available to them every moment. We can deeply care without carrying everything. We can serve faithfully without saying yes to every opportunity. And we can trust God enough to believe that when He asks us to say no to something, He is still capable of taking care of what we are leaving undone. 

There is freedom in realizing that God is God, and you are not.  

You don't have to hold everything together. You don't have to answer every call. You don't have to solve every problem. You don't have to be everything everyone needs. You simply need to be faithful with what God has placed in your hands. So, the next time you feel that familiar guilt rising because you're about to say no, pause.

Pray.

Ask God whether this is something He is actually asking you to carry. Sometimes saying no gives you room for your best yes. If He isn't asking you to carry this, give yourself permission to release it. You can say no and still be kind. You can say no and still be generous. You can say no and still be a good friend, a good wife, a good mother, a good leader, and a good Christian. 

You can say no without guilt. 

Because sometimes saying no to something good is what gives you room to say yes to what God has called you to do. 

Reflection: What is one thing you've said yes to out of guilt rather than genuine willingness? What would it look like to release that burden to God?