are we there yet?

By Debbie Ramamoorthy (WITHIN Devotional Writer)

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” (Galatians 6:9)
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When we don’t know if we’re “there” (whatever “there” means for you) yet, we often end up sitting in the waiting while being frustrated, impatient and sometimes even angry- wondering whether it was God’s plan all along. And how many of us have heard the response “God’s timing is perfect.”? We’ve heard it all a million times. Or at least I have. I get it. I’ve been in many seasons of waiting. I am currently in one right now. I like to call this season “the land in-between.” While God’s timing is perfect, it really isn’t the most consuming, all-encompassing aspect of our lives. The purpose isn’t for us to just sit in the waiting, passively but to joyfully surrender to the waiting.

Want to know what’s more important than waiting for God’s timing to reveal itself?
The seasons of waiting are the seasons where all the “magic” happens. What do I mean by this? The waiting seasons are filled with far more purpose than the seasons of arrival.

While this isn’t something you may necessarily want to hear- the reality is nothing is going to speed up His timing. So, take a step back, relax and hear me out. The God we serve is not a God of coincidence or randomness. He is a God who orchestrates the smallest details to the biggest life events. This should be reassuring, right? But so often it’s not. Rather than spending our days seeking Him, walking in close relationship with Him and striving to understand how to glorify Him through our words, actions and thoughts, we sit in the waiting period, anxiously waiting for the Lord to deliver! And in the process, we miss His good work.

There is nothing that goes to waste with God, right? Which only means that this season of waiting is filled with purpose! Not just purpose, but a sovereign purpose! This doesn’t only mean that you are meant to be in this season, but you are meant to be engaging with this season. Fully present in it. Fully embracing it.

Even more, it’s not simply a purposeful time- it’s actually time that He is using to glorify Him. Time being used for His greater good! Whatever plans that God has in store of you, during times of waiting, He is shaping you into who you need to be for those plans but more importantly, He is shaping you to know Him deeper-to know His steadfast love, mercy, kindness so that we may be rooted in Him.
 
 Furthermore, we don’t always know it in the moment, but we aren’t always ready for the things that God plans to do through us. For example, if you were ready to have Him open that door, it would be open right now- today. But the reality is, this is the time He could be using to prepare you, mold you and shape you for the opportunity He has purposed for you. You weren’t ready last year, or last week or yesterday. You may actually not even be ready for it today. God has things to reveal to you before that time comes. You’ve got so much to learn and this beautiful opportunity to grow into who you are meant to be for the season ahead.

I dabble in art here and there, and so I like to think of God as the master artist. It brings to mind when I work on a piece of art- the process of allowing my brain to get creative, getting the material ready, getting in the zone and then slowly seeing the piece come together. More often than not, the end result is different than what I had envisioned. But I think of God working on us, seeing us as his blank canvases. Chiseling away, refining us, shaping us and molding us. All the while perfecting us. So that at the end, we are living testimonies of His goodness, faithfulness and redemption. Our stories are really for Him to beautifully piece together, pointing back to His glory and wonder.

I’ve got my share of “waiting lists,”-even just in the past year. Nothing feels longer than a waiting list that involves a 2.5 year engagement! I never would have thought that to be the story God has in store for my life. But something keeps happening: the quieter circumstances become, the more I see God’s creativity. The less I know, the more God starts to reveal. The more helpless I feel, the more glorified God becomes. The more I surrender, the more God reveals.
 
Let’s look at the story of Moses. Most of his life was spent in waiting! And much of what he waited for, he didn’t even get to see come to fruition. But it did not stop Him from worshipping the Lord amidst the waiting, and chasing to know Him and His purposes.

 While these seasons of waiting seem to be filled with unknowns and uncertainties, along with its share of stress, it is also filled with God’s mysteries and experiences that draw us into a deep dependency on Him.

The best you can do is to embrace the moment. Engage with the present. Open your hands in surrender every day and ask to know Him. All we can do is joyfully obey Him, in total dependency on the One who has seen it through! Knowing in full confidence that He has the most beautiful things to reveal to you. In His perfect timing. The final result will be beyond your wildest dreams and imaginations.
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The weekly devotionals seek to encourage you to dig deeper into Scripture as you take the time to daily read, meditate, and internalize the verses in the devotional, along with the passages provided below to give greater context. Take the time to read them throughout the week (repetition is important) and ask the Holy Spirit to help you grasp what God is showing you about Himself, about you, and how to live in light of these truths. 

Passages to read/memorize/meditate:Galatians 6:9
Phillipians 4:6
Jeremiah 29:11
Romans 12:12
Questions to Reflect on:

1. What season of waiting are you in? How is God shaping you in this season?
2. What are some ways you could replace waiting with surrender?
3. When you are tired of waiting, how do you typically respond? How could you ask God to reveal himself to you in those seasons?