4 ways you can be actively waiting on god

Hello everyone!!!! It’s been a good 3 months I think since I’ve written a blog and a lot has happened in my life since then. Mostly the reason I haven’t written though is because I’ve been struggling with feeling like my words don’t have weight. Like “who am I to give advice?” A lot of people have questioned and torn down my words (while a lot of others have built them up.) And the combination of not feeling good enough to have a voice and the crazy amount of stress that my life has been lately has led me to stop writing so much. BUT— the Lord spoke to me recently that even if my words effect ONE person I am called to be bold and speak the truth in a dark world. So here I am- back to blogging. :)

I want to talk about waiting on the Lord. Right now I feel like I’ve been in probably a good 6 months of patiently (or not so patiently sometimes) waiting for change to come. Do you ever feel like you're on the edge of a miracle but it just hasn’t happened yet? And you keep thinking that it’s RIGHT around the corner and then you find yourself a few months later still believing it’s right around the corner?

I think that’s me right now. I’ve been waiting on things to happen for MONTHS & it always seems like, “oh, this is my big break. Here it is!!!! Answered prayer!!!” And then something will fall through the cracks and I realize it wasn’t my big break and life goes back to waiting again. Anyone else feel like that?

Here’s what I’m learning about WHAT TO DO WHILE YOU’RE WAITING; because man it is really really hard sometimes.

1. BELIEVE THAT GOD HEARS YOUR CRIES: I don’t just mean it in a cliche way. Like REALLY believe that God hears you when you pray. Sometimes I like to picture Jesus sitting beside me having a cup of coffee & listening to what I’m saying. Sometimes I picture Him in the passenger seat of my car. Sometimes I write down my words & fold them up & put them in an envelope because it feels like maybe I’m going to send them up to heaven. (sorry I’m weird) Either way. BELIEVING He hears you. The Bible says that as soon as I send my prayers, the Lord hears them. The Bible also says that God is EAGER to listen to us and help us out. “If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you?” Matthew 6 MSG.

2. PRAY WITH EXPECTANCY but be prepared for unexpected answers to your prayers. There are only 3 answers that God has to our prayers: yes, not yet, & I have something much better in mind for you. A lot of times I feel like I’m waiting for no reason and God is just being silent while I’m out here suffering. But I’m learning to actively wait by praying expectantly — (for example “God I believe that you’ve gone ahead of me, you’ve prepared a prosperous job for me to step into and you’re going to lead me into that position in your exact timing. Thank you that you’ve already done this for me and that your timing is perfect.”) Believe that the things He has promised will come to pass soon- and if it doesn’t show up how you originally thought it would, it will be something even better.

3. STOP WORRYING ABOUT WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN. This is probably the hardest thing in the world for me to do because I’m a worrier- but worrying is actually a sin because it brings us further from God. Worry implies that we don’t trust God to actually come through on what He said He would give us. “I came so that you could have and enjoy life & life abundant.” ABUNDANT doesn’t mean living in constant anxiety or fear & it doesn’t mean we go through every day struggling to get what we need. It means He will provide above what we could possibly imagine. “Worrying is practical atheism.”

4. TRUST. This one is simple. Trusting that if God put a passion or desire in your heart- He will follow through with giving you the desires of your heart- REAL QUICK. When i say this i’m not saying if you have the desire to own a ferrari by the time you’re 22 that God will just hand that right over. heck no! but He will use your passions to further His kingdom. ask Him how you can use your talents & passions for His good. God is growing you in the waiting period, He’s teaching you HOW to trust Him more, if everything was handed to you, you’d never have a reason to look to Him for guidance & comfort. All He desires is relationship and closeness with you, and to lead you into life abundant, but He can’t do that if you don’t have a reason to look to Him. “For all I know of seasons is that You take Your time- You could have saved us in a second, Instead You sent a child.” God can do anything in the blink of an eye, but He chooses not to so that He can build relationship with us in the waiting. Rest in that.

i know these things are hard things to do. but i hope you feel encouraged by them. we’re all believing for things & i’m believing God wants to give them to us. here’s a secret through: the KEY to obtaining God’s best for your life and His blessings is by listening to His Word and OBEYING it (James 1).

one last thing, we sang a song at church this week - “seasons” by hillsong worship. if you’re in a season of waiting- GO LISTEN TO IT. i seriously cried over it the whole drive to work this morning. “If all I know of harvest, Is that it’s worth my patience, Then if You’re not done working, God I’m not done waiting”

love y’all!

— jenna