Psalms 27:14—Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart, and wait for the Lord…

How easy is it to wait? If I am honest, I am not the most patient person. I want to be able to know now… This is not how life usually happens. We live at a fast pace, always moving, always going in the world. We are used to being able to “Google” it for fast results. If we are honest, we want to be able to control the timing rather than letting go in surrender and finding true rest in Christ.

A couple of weeks ago, I took some time away. For the past several years, I have found it essential that I take some time at the end of each summer to pause and get away. This has become a very important discipline in my life. During this deeper, longer pause, I can give deeper space for reflection, renewal, recentering, and restoration.

As this time allowed deeper time with God, God reminded me of the beauty of trusting Him and His perfect timing. A year ago, I was uncertain and very unsure what the road ahead looked like for me. I remembered crying many tears during this time as my heart grieved while I was experiencing a deep heartbreak. The way I thought life was going to go was shattered, and I didn’t know what was next. I remember last year bringing God the heartbreak, and God placed it on my heart, “I am not promising it is going to be easy, and it will be hard, but Trust Me, Follow Me, Surrender to Me, I write good stories.”

On the very last day of my time away, God began to place a possibility of something new in my life. This was something I had prayed several years ago. In the midst of those prayers, the nudge on my heart years ago was, “NOT YET…” I wondered what the “Not Yet” meant, but I trusted God and surrendered it to God and let it go.

Now, a few years later, God brought back up the “NOT YET” in His timing. I remember last September asking God, “If this is where You are leading, to open doors that only God could open in His timing. Well, as I reflect a year later, God’s timing was beyond what I could have ever imagined. Not only did this trace to prayers from a few years ago, but this actually led back to prayers I had prayed over 30 years ago. Never did I imagine how those prayers that I prayed over 30 years ago would be answered in such a way. BUT GOD!

Friend, as you may be in a season of waiting, I encourage you with these truths…

• Make it a priority to be able to disconnect from the busyness—spend time with God.
• Don’t be afraid to take to God whatever is stirred within you during this time.
• Be fully present to God wherever God has you.
• Give God and trust Him with it all.
• Have confidential prayer warriors praying with you!
• The joy of the Lord is our strength even in the midst of the waiting!
• Continue to be good stewards of the work God is doing.
• Continue to be open to however the Holy Spirit wants to use you in the season you are in.

In the midst of waiting, God is doing things individually for us if we allow Him to teach, mold, train, and create in us what He desires. God is also at work in other spaces and places in ways we cannot imagine.

• Ask God to be the Artist and the Potter of your life.
• Surrender to be the canvas and the clay.
• Choose to trust and find your rest in God completely.

I can promise you God’s will and God’s way are always best, and He always answers us. Sometimes that is Yes, sometimes it is No, and sometimes it is Not Yet (and we see God answer prayers that you prayed over 30 years ago, and you get to be part of it.)

The best place to place your broken dreams and your unanswered prayers is in God’s hand—let go, surrender, and trust God completely!

Melia Warren has dedicated almost 20 years to full-time children’s ministry and resides in McMinnville, TN. Her passion lies in working with children and families, sharing Christ's love, and fostering spiritual growth through discipleship. She delights in celebrating God’s work, experiencing profound joy by saying yes to Jesus, and spreading His love. Melia treasures connecting with others and welcomes the opportunity to pray with or for you—reach out to her at melia@fbcmcminnville.com.