I love having sweet encounters with God. He reminds me of His love for me at what seems to be the most perfect time in when I need it. I had recently been seeking guidance and clarity about a few things and God pointed me to a song that spoke to the very things that I was seeking guidance and clarity for. A lot of times we feel like we need these big clear signs from God to know if we're going where He wants, but in some cases if we just wait or if we just sit still and wait then we would receive the answers that we're looking for just as clear.
The waiting period I feel is the toughest time frame to process through. It's tough not knowing when, how long or even knowing but waiting on the green light for the next step or the next move. God reminded me about my posture in HOW I wait. We can wait forever for God to do something but if we aren't diligent during the waiting period then it almost takes away the value of the very thing that God wants to bless you with. Realizing that diligence and our posture during this period brings forth the encounters, the growth, and the value of how we receive what it is that we are expecting from God. Sometimes we get restless during our wait. We get impatient and we try to hurry the process or we just end up doing what feels good to our flesh. We may make choices that can delay our receiving. I think of the analogy of planting seeds. When you're planting seeds you prepare the ground or the soil, then you plant the seeds and then you water. You consistently nurture (diligently) in hopes that you will see or receive whatever it is that your planting. The key is that you diligently nurtured the seeds while you waited. You didn't receive the same day that you planted. That's the same with God. We can ask ourselves this simple question. What are we doing with our time while we wait? Are we diligently seeking God's face? Are we diligently worshiping God with praise and thanksgiving? Are we preparing ourselves for the harvest or the fruits of our labor? Are we feeding our spirits or feeding our flesh?
Waiting can become tiresome but one thing that I know about God is that He will give strength to those who become weary. He will help you in the places where you're the weakest. It all starts with our decision in how we will wait. Will we wait with patience and gratitude or will we wait impatiently and selfishly as if God owes us something for the wait? I honestly was in a place where I thought I was waiting with diligence but God showed me I wasn't. What gave me peace was how gentle and subtle God was in His reminder to me. How He corrected and guided me in love. How He showed me what I could give more attention to and that's what makes the wait and journey so much more rich and worth it. It's in these moments where God wants us to have personal experiences with Him so that we know who He is. If we skip pass the waiting period we will miss out on the revelation of God which is very much so life changing. I saw God differently at that moment. A moment which I will carry close to my heart forever and use as a reminder of who God is to and for me.
My prayer today is that we wait with diligence. No matter what season we may be in I pray that we diligently seek God and wait on His response and while we wait I pray that we wait with gratitude, with worship, with diligence, and with patience.
With love,
-Yours Truly, Eb