Prep Time

A couple months ago, I wrote about trusting God in times of waiting. As I have looked over the past ten months of raising financial support, I have a new perspective and appreciation for this time of waiting. I realized how much God has used those months to prepare me for my future in Indianapolis working with high school students. 

When we are in periods of waiting, I think one thing is important: diligence. Not necessarily diligence in working to get what we want, but diligence in spending time with the Lord so we can learn all that He wants to bestow on us during this time. If we accept this time and lean on the Lord, He will teach us and grow us so much in times of waiting. 

Francesca Battistelli has a song called “Time In Between,” and the chorus is amazing:

“It’s the time in between

That I fall down to my knees

Waiting on what You’ll bring

And the things that I can’t see

I know my song’s incomplete

Still I’ll sing in the time in between.”

Isn’t it so true that times of waiting bring us to our knees? We have no where else to go, but to our knees. There’s nothing we can do to make this time go any faster, all we can do is trust and seek the Lord. A friend recently shared a quote with me about waiting, “sometimes God is waiting to see if I’m waiting.” Sometimes all God wants is to know that we are waiting on Him, so if we give into the wait, and fall into the Lord’s expectant arms, we will be closer to what we want than if we fight against it.

If you think about it, nothing worthwhile in life comes without a wait. Marriage comes after engagement. Babies come after pregnancy. Healing comes after sickness. Employment comes after schooling. Even most food needs some sort of prep time. 

God has taught me so much over the past ten months about myself, the kind of woman I want to be and desires I have for my future have become clearer. Some have become stronger, some have become less significant. I think this period of waiting and preparation has made me into a very different person than I was just last year, and because of that I am thankful that the Lord has brought me to this time, and in His timing, He will bring me through it. 

Through verses like Proverbs 16:9, “In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps,” we know that our timing is not always the Lords. Therefore, I have learned that if my period of waiting is not over when I think it should be, God must have more prep time for me. And why would I want to rush ahead when God doesn’t think I’m ready? 
 
After all, no one wants to eat chicken that hasn’t been properly prepared. Only when God has adequately prepared us, should we venture out of the desert and into our own Promised Land.