This is Felicia Ferguson with Christian Mix 106, helping you build faith for the journey.
Have you ever had a heart longing so deep, so real, that you knew it just had to happen or your life would not be complete? Whether it’s a spouse, a child, a job, a location, you know God planted the desire in your heart. And yet, even though you’ve done everything you know to do the desire is still unfilled.
What then? Do you give up? Doubt you heard God correctly?
I’ve been there too. Maybe your answer is the answer I found. After I had done my part, changed my heart, found healing for my wounds, confessed my sins, I found the only thing left for me to do was …
Nothing.
As frustrating as the standstill was to my Type A personality, there truly was nothing more I could do. Nothing else I needed to be. There were no sins I needed to confess. There was nothing in my power holding me back.
The ball was completely in God’s court.
And I had to trust He would shoot a nothing-but-net three-pointer. At just the right time.
The harsh truth is that we may not be the ones He is waiting on. You and I may be ready, having been diligent to do our parts. But He may still be changing and growing the future spouse. Or putting everything in perfect alignment in that situation. He may still be bringing the right people, the right circumstances together.
The only thing we can do is hold on. This is the “having done all, to stand” part of spiritual warfare. And yet in many ways, it’s the hardest part of the battle. It’s holding the line, not giving back ground we fought so hard to win, not faltering in our faith and certainty in a good, loving, omniscient God and His good, loving plans for our lives. Because Satan doesn’t stop throwing fiery darts just because we’re ready. In fact, oftentimes, that’s when he starts throwing everything, including the kitchen sink, at us. The last thing he wants is a mature, trusting, patient follower of Jesus. Those followers are powerful adversaries.
So how do we stand in this fight? We release. That strategy sounds counter-intuitive, I know. And it is one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. But by thanking God for the promises He has given us, releasing our timeline into His hands and trusting Him, and rejoicing that He will bring these desires to pass in His perfect timing, we are winning the battle.
Because we are no longer living in the someday of deferred hope, which makes the heart sick, we are free to enjoy the now. Live the lives we’ve been given now. Love the people we’ve been given now.
Look around. Who is here today? What work is at hand? Focus on that. Ask God what He has now and praise Him for what it is coming, rejoicing that He has already granted the desire, and it’s only a matter of time before the answer is visible.
This is Felicia Ferguson, thanks for listening to Christian Mix 106.