While I’m Waiting…

I marvel sometimes at the way God speaks to me.

I don’t hear a loud booming voice shouting out my name as I cower in fear,

It is in the whirlwind of my every day life of wife, mom and aspiring writer that I hear that “still, small voice” speaking to me…

I heard it again today so very clearly.

A sweet Christian friend – an online Christian friend – and I have been mulling the idea of an online partnership – a venture in faith as it were – for several weeks now.  We had a serious discussion one afternoon and it appeared that all lights were green and we were “GO” on the project.

She later emailed me to say that she felt like God was telling her to wait.  That she had other priorities and needed to hear from Him more on the subject.

In the meantime, I began dreaming (literally) and having a vision placed in my heart about this project in a way that surprised me, really.  I was surprised by the continuous dreams at night that would awaken me at 2:00 a.m. with an overwhelming desire to write out lists and begin mapping out these plans.

Even during the day, I began having more conscious thoughts and ideas, and started recording them and outlining several thoughts.

And again, she and I met for a discussion online and began moving in a more purposeful direction towards that goal.  I was THRILLED to be visiting the idea with her again and praising God for the way He was bringing it back into my life.

And then I heard it.  That still, small voice saying, “STOP!”

“What?  Are you talking to me, God?”

I was just mulling over some of the specifics of our conversation, preparing to make a new list when I heard the voice.

“Stop!”

Okay.  So I’ll wait to write my list, I thought.

As I sat quietly I heard, “No.  I said Stop.”

“Okay, Lord – I don’t get this.  She & I would make the perfect team.  She & I have these amazing ideas together and feel like You have had a hand in this.  I’ve been waking up in the middle of the night with my mind spinning out ideas and having clarity during the day putting them onto paper! We have each prayed over this individually, and now that we’ve come together and discussed some details, you’re telling me to stop?”

Silence.

So, now I am waiting.

Not for God to change His mind.  But for Him to speak to me again.  Clearly.  Show me the purpose for my dreams. Reveal my next step.

Maybe He just wants me to dream bigger dreams for myself, for my family – and not use them in a ministry online.

Maybe timing isn’t right and we’d be biting off more than we could chew.

Maybe He just doesn’t want us to do this project together.

I don’t  know.  I’m perplexed a bit.

God knows.  So even though I am perplexed, I am “not in despair” (2. Cor. 4:8).

I am just waiting.

And while I am waiting, I will still serve Him.

Debbie is a believer in Jesus, wife to the love of her life, and mom of 2 amazing, energetic princesses. She is an avid coffee and tea lover, enjoys Christian fellowship in person or online, and is the editor of the women’s ministry newsletter at her church.  She can be found blogging at The Queen Mommy’s Cafe, often with a full cup in hand…

Three Essentials for Those in Ministry

If you are a person in ministry, you have certainly felt a call to it. You knew God was tugging at your heart, pulling you in that direction; but what you may not have considered is the commitment that it takes to be in ministry.

Ministry is a position that has both a public commitment and a private commitment. Publicly, you are committed to those that you minister to, as well as the “tasks” of ministry. These tasks are found in many other positions, even those in the secular world. Tasks including bookkeeping, filing, and the like. One can learn the skills that it takes to accomplish these tasks and do so in a way that is pleasing to everyone involved.

The private commitment is much greater. This commitment includes the practices of spending time in prayer, reading and studying God’s Word and becoming spiritually disciplined. These private acts are truly more important to God, more than any of the things that you do publicly. These are disciplines/habits that the people you minister to, will never know if you keep or not.  Far too often, even those of us in ministry, will put these things last in our lives; and though you might think that it will not make a huge difference, it will.

Prayer is an essential. Prayer is our communication with God, our Father. How can someone in ministry effectively minister to others without first communicating with their Heavenly Father? We should learn from the perfect example of Jesus, who often retreated to be alone to pray. He made spending time with the Father His priority. If the only perfect man who ever lived, spent time with God daily in prayer; why should we think that we as human imperfect ministers, should be able to do it all on our own?

Reading God’s Word is equally as important. God’s Word gives us direction, pierces our hearts and shows us where we need to add to or take away from our lives. It is the ultimate decision maker when we need to find answers, and will inspire us when we need encouragement. If you’ve been in ministry any length of time, you know you’ll need one or all of those things.

Becoming spiritually disciplined takes time. Spiritual disciplines may not be shared by everyone and can vary depending on your “belief system”. We’ve already mentioned, prayer and Bible study. Others include: tithing, fellowship, worship, evangelism, all things that we know we should be doing, but often struggle to do. That is why these things must be developed over time. We shall never cease “striving”. After all, Christians are on a journey to become more like Christ. We will never get there this side of heaven, but that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t be disciplined in the practice of doing so.

Photo credit: DrGBB

Alyssa  Avant is a Christian writer, speaker, and business owner whose mission is to turn the hearts of girls towards God.  Alyssa recently felt the calling to help those who felt called into ministry but were fearful of taking the “leap of faith”, to help them she created FaithLeaps, a membership training program for those looking to “take the leap of faith into speaking, writing and / or ministry.