Choosing to Remain Steadfast in the Waiting

God has made many beautiful promises to the ministry I am a part of. However, for a while now, things in the natural have looked very different from what He has said will come to pass.

Regardless of what it looks like, we continue to press into His heart and stand firm because we know He is the One who is faithful and true.

When God’s promises seem impossible, we have to believe He will come through. We have to choose to remain steadfast in the waiting, surrendering our desires and exchanging our agendas for His.

Our Lord, who is the Resurrection and the Life, has great plans for us all and He will not allow them to be dashed to nothing.

Sometimes it feels so small, and we wonder when more will arise to build God’s Kingdom with us. Nonetheless, we can always trust in God’s faithfulness.

I’m not sure why He has tarried so long as we desperately need breakthrough in many areas of need. Perhaps it is because He is working a greater work in us–after all, it is God and His making us into the image of Christ that is most important.

The main thing is His heart and connecting ours with His; the rest is by His leading and our obedience when and as He does lead. It’s quite okay if things don’t look like the world thinks they should. Our call is to follow Christ’s leadership and be His disciple, clinging closely to Him.

We must cling to God closely and seek to hear that still, small voice.

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In the end the question won’t be how many people showed up but, “Do we know Jesus intimately? Do we still have our first love in first place? Did we love and obey Him?”

Again, we have to come to the place where we surrender our desires and exchange our agendas for the Lord’s plan and ways.

We may think God is doing one thing, when He actually may be working something else in our lives and ministries in a certain season. That’s why we must stay close to His heart.

It may be that He is calling us away with Him into a time of seeking His face in the secret place where He alone sees. He may be refining our calling in Him so that we will not spend needless time doing ministry things that He has not specifically called us to. Almost like trying to do someone else’s job instead of finding out what your part is so you can do that. Perhaps He just knows that a busy season is coming and rest is needed most to replenish our energy reserves for what is to come.

When God’s promises seem impossible, we have to believe He will come through. We have to choose to remain steadfast in the waiting, surrendering our desires and exchanging our agendas for His.

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He alone knows the plan, which is why we must seek Him, not give up nor just go the way of others, even when it seems that things around us are waning or changing. We must stay on the specific journey He has for us.

Jesus is always looking for those whose hearts are loyal and faithful to Him, not how many people show up to a meeting or get on board with what part we are playing. 

“And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?”

Luke 18:7-8 (NKJV)

Even in the hidden place, He wants our hearts, surrendered to Him. He looks at things much differently than we do, He looks at the heart and He sees every action in our lives with Him that comes from that. Prior to becoming king, David was not thought of as having much value in this life either, but God saw things differently. We’re in good company:

“But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.'”

1 Samuel 16:7 (NKJV)

So let us not look at outward appearance or stature, but ask the Lord to help us see as He sees. I pray this update was an encouragement to you to keep running the race. Never stop growing in passion for Jesus. He is worthy!