Have you ever felt like God was running late dealing with a situation in your life?
When we are in the midst of waiting for something, it’s so easy to feel that way when we look at our circumstances through the filters of our limited human perspective. We can get so caught up in our own timeline that we forget that God’s plan and timing is always better than whatever we could dream up on our own.
My heart was reminded of this during a rough patch we hit a few years ago.
My husband and I moved to Springfield in the Fall of 2015 out of obedience to the Lord. Mark has been called to Military Chaplaincy, to full-time ministry to soldiers and their families. This calling has quite the laundry list of requirements. One of those is a Master of Divinity along with an endorsement from a denominational body.
We tried our hardest to find solutions that did not involve moving for him to attend school and apply for credentials, but eventually, we surrendered to this direction on our lives and moved hundreds of miles away leaving our secure jobs, close friends, and family behind.
This was an incredibly difficult endeavor for us, but we believed God would provide for us and so we stepped out in faith.
What we expected to be a smooth transition turned out to be very rough. Both of us struggled to find employment. Mark took a 3rd shift, varied scheduled, factory job through a temp agency in order for us to pay our rent because we were quickly running out of savings.
I applied and interviewed all over town and did not get an offer for over two months. I was overjoyed to finally find a position and then I found out I would not be allowed to start for another two months.
I was so frustrated by this and began to worry that I would have to turn that job down and look into retail work again to make ends meet. This would mean long hours, little pay, nights and weekends, and the very real possibility we wouldn’t be able to see our families at Thanksgiving or Christmas.
I ended up taking a temporary warehouse job in town and then went to help out at my old jobs in Indiana for the holidays to earn some extra cash.
During this time, we were barely seeing each other due to Mark’s night schedule changing each week. I also went home for a few weeks in December by myself.
We were barely making ends meet and I was extremely vulnerable to the enemy’s attacks on my spirit. I began to doubt and question if we had made the right choice in moving to Springfield.
Right when I needed it, the Lord began to minister to my Spirit.
During one of my quiet times in that season, I was distraught and impatient and I began to whine and complain to God about how late He was in providing for us. I outlined how confused and frustrated I was that we had listened to His direction and had found nothing but potholes and hurdles on the road.
He did not snap me out of it harshly or rebuke me for being so ungrateful. God dealt with me lovingly and compassionately and reminded my heart to have patience for His plan.
I was lead to John 11, to the story of Lazarus.
This chapter begins with sisters Mary and Martha finding out that Lazarus (Mary’s brother) was very sick. They sent a message to Jesus to tell him his “dear friend was sick.” (John 11:3)
It seems that the sisters sent Jesus that message in hopes that He would come quickly and heal their brother (John 11: 21; 32).
Jesus’ initial response is that his “sickness will not end in death” (John 11:4), which makes us think He intends to rush to His friend’s side to heal him.
However, John 11:5-7 says, “Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days, and then he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea” (NIV).
When Jesus arrived, Lazarus had been dead for 4 days. According to our human perspective, Jesus was too late-Lazarus was already dead. But according to God’s plan, Jesus was right on time.
At that point, many people had gathered to pay their respects and console a grieving Martha and Mary. When Jesus insisted on being taken to Lazarus’ tomb, a lot of people followed and saw the great miracle of Lazarus being raised from the dead.
John 11:45 says that “Many of the people who were with Mary believed in Jesus when they saw this happen.” Jesus waited for a very good reason. If He had come right away and healed Lazarus’ sickness, there would have been far fewer people to witness it and be touched by it.
He knew what the people of Judea needed to witness and He timed it perfectly.
God does not always do things or answer prayers when or how we expect Him to, but He is never late or unprepared. God is always right on time.
I eventually did start that full-time job I was offered; Mark worked in warehousing for about 6 months before being offered a position at the Assemblies of God National Office. This was not even a job he actually applied for, but his application from months before was still on file.
My full-time position was not my favorite but it led to a much better position that I received later and Mark’s job ended up being a huge blessing, coming with flexibility and fringe benefits we didn’t even know we needed.
From there very beginning, in the midst of our trial, God had this plan in mind. He had it all laid out and all we had to do was trust Him.
I want to encourage your friends, that no matter how long you wait for something, or even if it never comes, God is not late; He has not forgotten about you. He loves you and has an even better, more Kingdom-building plan in store for you.
So, when you feel doubt creep into your Spirit, there are things you can do to fight against it.
1) Tell God How You Feel
This is something I did when I got frustrated.
I told God exactly how I felt. Even if you are expressing negative emotions, the very fact that you are talking to God about it sets your heart up to be ministered to. Our God loves us and grieves with us. He wants us to be in relationship and communication with Him, even if we are expressing frustration.
God already knows what we are thinking and feeling all the time. Isn’t that crazy? So the fact that you are struggling or feeling doubt is not a secret to Him, but when we express our hearts and come into His presence through prayer, we open ourselves up for the Holy Spirit to begin to work in us.
2) Hide Truth In Your Heart
The best way to battle fear and doubt creeping into your heart is to remind it of truth through God’s Word.
During a healthy, abundant season, make memorizing scripture a priority. I used to not place very much stock in memorizing bible verses. I thought “my bible is right here, I have all of them whenever I need them!” but the truth is there is no substitute for having it in your heart and in your mind.
This Scripture memory journal from the Daily Grace, Co. is incredibly useful for recording verses to memorize.
3) Read or Listen to Encouragement
Bookmark, pin, or write down encouraging stories, articles, speakers, podcasts, etc. when you are feeling strong to turn to when you are feeling doubtful and without hope.
Cultivating a “toolkit” like this when you are healthy and feeling encouraged will be a tremendous blessing for your future self.
Re-read books that you know speak to your heart and ask friends for recommendations of new materials. Listen to encouraging music and stay away from toxic television or movies.
4) Reach Out to Your Tribe
It can be hard to admit to others when we are feeling discouraged but God made us for community for a reason. We need relationships with others.
We need people around us who will be encouraging, empathetic, and supportive, especially in seasons of doubt and discouragement.
You do not have to bare your soul if you don’t want to, but a simple “Hey, I am having a rough day; my Spirit is weak. Would you pray for me?” can do wonders.
Let others lift you up when you are down; let others carry your burden too.
Do you have any specific verses you cling to when you are feeling discouraged? Any books or speakers you like to turn to? Tell me about them in the comments!
