Tag Archives: waiting on God

Strawberry Season and Windows of Opportunity

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It seems like strawberry season comes up so fast. Winter drags on and on here in PA, and then all of a sudden, one day, it’s almost summer. I feel like we skip spring altogether. But right in the middle there, between the end of winter and the almost beginning of summer is one of my favorite times of year–strawberry-picking season. If you blink, you miss it. In fact, for several years, we did miss it. For us, strawberry picking season comes right in the middle of finishing off homeschool and getting ready to leave on vacation. 

Window of Opportunity

We finally figured out, we usually get a window of about a week between when the strawberries are ready to pick at our favorite orchard and when we have to leave on vacation. So as soon as we get the notification that the strawberries are ready, we plan the trip to our favorite orchard in Lancaster to pick them. Every year, I don’t think we’re going to have the time to fit it in, but we make it work somehow. And I’m always so glad that we do

Life happens in so many seasons and stages. Sometimes, we don’t have to move for a long time, years in fact. Other times, it’s like strawberry picking season. You have to be ready to move when it’s time. God prompts your heart, and you realize the time is now and you have to make a move. 

Paul’s Example

I wonder if sometimes we miss out on opportunities God has for us simply because we aren’t ready and willing to move when the opportunity comes. I read yesterday in my morning time about Paul being willing to move at a moment’s notice.

 That night Paul had a vision: A man from Macedonia in northern Greece was standing there, pleading with him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us!”  So we decided to leave for Macedonia at once, having concluded that God was calling us to preach the Good News there.

Acts 16:9,10 NLT

As soon as Paul got the notice, he moved. He got right to it. He never wasted time when God was leading him. He got right to the work God had for him, even if that meant traveling for a little while.

Self-Reflection

Do I move when God leads? Am I ready to move when he wants me too? Do I obey even in the small ways, so when it’s time, God can lead me in a big way?

Strawberry season reminds me to be ready and watching and waiting for what God has next so I don’t miss out! 

More Encouragement

For more on this topic, check out my post, 3 Ways to Stay Flexible and Ready to Move.

In other news, my latest book under my pen name, A. J. Manney, released today. The Flirty Forward, a hockey romance, is available in paperback and ebook if you’re looking for a fun, flirty, clean read for the weekend!

Waiting on God to Write Your Story

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choose to wait for the story that's still being written

Copying Someone Else’s Story

Sometimes it seems like life would be easier if we could just write our own story, or copy somebody else’s story for our life. Instead of waiting, if we could just force God’s hand to make things happen, surely that would be better than what we’re stuck with right now.

We know that God writes our story. We know the verses, we know the sayings…but when push comes to shove, life doesn’t always work out the way we want it to. It’s really hard to see how it’s all going to work together for good.

Hard Conversations

I’ve had a few conversations with friends lately that were painful…conversations nobody wants to have. Hard conversations. Things like—what do you do when your spouse withholds his love from you? What do you do when your spouse cheats on you? How do you keep going forward when nothing seems to be working out? How do you trust God when it seems like he keeps failing you?

I used to think I had all the answers; that was before I learned what real life looked like. Real life is dirty and messy and full of questions. It’s not all neat and wrapped up with a bow that has a neatly transcribed verse on the side of the box and a pithy saying like “let go and let God” written on the top. No, life is full of mistakes, regrets, failures, and messes. It doesn’t always work out the way we think it should.

Things Don’t Always Work Out

No matter how much we pray, sometimes we still lose the job, we can’t pay the bill, we don’t have enough money for that present, the breakup still happens, our spouse still hurts us, a friend breaks our heart, the loved one still dies, and on and on the list goes.

I’m sure you could add your own heartbreak. Often, it feels like life would be easier if we could just force our own breakthrough. If we could superimpose God’s will for our will and get things moving, it would really help.

People Who Didn’t Wait

I can’t help but think about the people in the Bible who simply gave up too early. If only they could have waited just a little bit longer.

I think of Saul. He waited and waited for Samuel to show up to offer the sacrifice, but Samuel was late. Saul got impatient and decided to do it himself. The Bible says that as he was offering the sacrifice, Samuel showed up. If Saul would have waited just a few minutes longer, he wouldn’t have missed God’s best. What did it cost him? The kingdom. God was so displeased with Saul’s disobedience that he took the kingship from him and gave it to David.

Another example is Abraham. God told him he would have a son, but he wasn’t content to wait on God. He decided to write his own breakthrough into the story and royally messed up all of history. Because he didn’t wait for God to bless him and Sara with a baby but instead slept with Sara’s servant, Ishmael was born. A few years later, Abraham and Sara had Isaac. Ishmael’s descendants and Isaac’s descendants are still at war today.

Those Who Waited

Conversely, we see God’s hand of blessing on Joseph who waited through years of bad treatment and harsh consequences before God broke through. In the end, God wrote a beautiful story for him.

David waited for nearly fifteen years from the time he was anointed king to when he actually became king of Israel. He stayed faithful to God and didn’t waver from God’s path. In the end, his story played out beautifully.

Wait for God to Write Your Story

We get impatient and want to write our own story, but we can’t. Our story won’t look nearly as beautiful as the one God is writing; it will simply be a copy and pasted version of somebody else’s story.

We have to choose to wait for God to write our story. Wait for him to give us our own. I promise it will be more beautiful than anything we could have written for ourselves.

For More Encouragement

For more on this topic, check out my husband’s book, Breakthrough: Transforming the Death of a Dream to the Birth of a Breakthrough or read my post Choosing Hope: The Best is Yet to Come.

A song that’s really been encouraging my heart lately is Weary Traveler by Jordan St. Cyr. Give it a listen and let it encourage your heart.

Knowing When to Wait and When to Move Forward

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Wait or Move Forward?

One of the things I have struggled with over the years is knowing when I am supposed to wait on God and when I am supposed to move forward with something and take the next step. I think that’s because it’s constantly changing. There have been times when God has clearly led me to wait on Him and be patient. There have been other times that God has shown me that He wants me to take the next step.

No matter how many times He has had me do both, it’s still something that I really struggle with. If I am not careful, I lean too hard one way or another.

Waiting on God

There are several verses in the Bible about standing still and waiting on God. Here are a few.

And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will shew to you today: Exodus 14:13

Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the Lord with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them: for the Lord will be with you. II Chronicles 20:17

Hearken unto this, O Job: stand still, and consider the wondrous works of God. Job 37:14

Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord. Psalm 27:14

Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: Psalm 37:7

My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him. Psalm 62:5

Most of the time, I feel that God is urging me to wait, be still, stand still, and wait for him to work. But then sometimes God shakes things up.

Everybody Always

I have been reading Everybody Always by Bob Goff. It is such a great book! I highly recommend it. While I was reading it a few days ago, some of the phrases leaped off the page at me.

What a shame it would be if we were waiting for God to say something while He’s been waiting on us to do something. 

So many times we are waiting on God to take the next step. We keep praying and praying, but we don’t get any answer. His voice is silent.

He’s so confident we already know what to do next that He’s willing to be silent even when we ask for His voice.

Sometimes God is confidently quiet. He is confident we have all the information we need. We may not have had experience with the circumstances we’re presently facing, but He’s allowed us to experience a lifetime of other things to prepare us for what is coming next…The moment we take even a tiny shuffle forward, what God is already thinking about is is this: I love you. You’ve got this. You know enough.

Stop Waiting and Take the Next Step

His words really got me thinking. Think about this, the Red Sea didn’t part until Moses stretched his arm out over the water, Naaman wasn’t healed until he dipped seven times in the Jordan River, Goliath wasn’t killed until David picked out five stones and put one into a sling, blind Bartimaeus wasn’t given sight until he cried out to Jesus, the woman with an issue of blood wasn’t healed until she reached out and touched Jesus’ clothes, thousands of people would not have gotten saved if Peter hadn’t chosen to preach at Pentecost.

There are times when God wants us to wait, but there are other times when God wants us to stop waiting and take a step into what He has for us next.

How do we know which one we are supposed to do? Over the years, Matt and I have established some principles to help us make the right decision.

When to Stand Still and Wait

  1. Stand still if you don’t know the next logical step.
  2. Wait when you have no peace about moving forward.
  3. Don’t make any important decisions when you are tired, lonely, discouraged, or depressed. If you feel overcome with any of these feelings, it is not time to take a step.
  4. Stand still if you feel the urge to run, quit, or stop doing what you know you are supposed to be doing right now.

When to Take the Next Step

  1. Move forward if God has shown you the next step. It may be just a tiny step in the right direction. The entire plan may not be visible, and you may not understand it, but you feel God leading you to take the next step.
  2. Go forward when God lines up your circumstances to push you to take the next step. You may not be ready, but circumstances dictate a change.
  3. Take the next step when deep inside your heart, you know God wants you to go in this direction. You may not be able to explain, but you know in your heart that God wants you to do this. He confirms it through reading His Word, through the preaching at church, and through wise counselors.

When God Leads You to Move

When you get stuck in life and can’t decide what to do next, whether to wait or go forward, go back to the last time God led you clearly to do something. Did you follow Him? Did you obey Him? Maybe that is where God is waiting for you.

God has a way of keeping our vision clouded until He suddenly lines everything up and we know what it is we are supposed to do next. Matt has a saying he often tells people… “When God decides to work, He will open a door so wide you can drive a Mac truck through it.” Wait until He makes it clear, then step through that open door and get ready to watch God do the impossible.

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