Waiting Well Through Any Season

If you know anything about the long journey to parenthood my husband and I are on, you’ll understand why I was excited to read Betsy Childs Howard’s book Seasons of Waiting: Walking by Faith When Dreams are Delayed as soon as I heard about it. When I finally got a chance to sit down and read it, I ended up devouring it in just one day!

The book contains encouragement for anyone playing the waiting game. In particular, the book offers insights into five seasons of waiting: waiting for marriage, a child, healing, a home, or a prodigal. You may fit into just one of those “seasons” that she describes, or none of them. Regardless, this will be an uplifting read for anyone waiting on God. It is filled with gospel hope without guilt trips or sugar-coating.

Here are the three ideas that I found most encouraging from Howard’s book, Seasons of Waiting:

Waiting Has an Eternal Purpose

Every page of this book is filled with reassuring reminders that God always has an eternal purpose for our seasons of waiting: to make us more like Christ. For the Christian, a time of waiting is made to do away with all our notions of our ability to live independently of God: “Waiting exposes our idols and throws a wrench into our coping mechanisms. It brings us to the end of what we can control and forces us to cry out to God. God doesn’t waste our waiting. He uses it to conform us to the image of his Son (16).” Our seasons of waiting draw us into deeper relationship with God himself, which is infinitely more valuable than anything we are waiting for. “God wants to give you a richer, deeper experience of himself that is more precious than the thing he has withheld from you. God won’t waste your waiting.” (92).

Pain May Be a Part of Waiting Well

Howard doesn’t ignore the deep pain experienced by those who are in a season of waiting. Although Christians should find contentment in God through all circumstances, pain may still be a part of the waiting process: “a persistent longing does not mean that you are indulging in sinful discontentment. The same Paul who wrote that he had learned to be content in every circumstance wrote that he had “great sorrow and unceasing anguish” (Rom. 9:2) when he considered his fellow Jews who had rejected the gospel. Waiting well doesn’t mean waiting without pain (19).” We don’t need to feel guilty when waiting feels painful at times. We can be content, full of faith, and rest in God’s provision and still deeply experience the pain of unfulfilled hopes.

God Provides Grace for the Wait, One Day at a Time

Seasons of waiting can drag on and on. When you’re in the midst of it, the thought of waiting another month, year, decade, or lifetime is horribly overwhelming and defeating. Seasons of Waiting cautions the reader to approach God for fresh grace daily. “It’s a great feeling when you can stock up on food and paper products at a wholesale store and know you won’t have to go back for months. But God doesn’t allow us to stock up on his grace. He gives it to us one day at a time” (88). God will provide enough grace for each day as it comes through, especially through his Word.

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I really can't recommend this book to you enough! If you, like me, struggle to wait on God with faith and patience, I’m sure you will enjoy this uplifting read!

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Respond

What encouraging books have you read lately?

Has Your Mouth Run Amok?

As soon as the words left my mouth, I wished I could reach out and grab them out of the air to drag them back. 

A wave of dread washed over me as I saw my words had already hit their mark. I knew I had been too harsh. I tried to backtrack, to rephrase things more kindly, but the damage was done. I had been thoughtless. No amount of regret could completely erase the hurt I had caused. 

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Some of my biggest regrets involve words I wish I’d never said. When I think back to those incidents, it’s like being transported through time: I’m filled with as much dread, shame, and embarrassment as the day the words escaped from my lips. 

I’m certain I’m not the only one. 

Although it’s probably true of some more than others, we all regret certain things we’ve said in the past. Maybe what we said was hurtful to another person, or perhaps we just sounded silly and embarrassed ourselves. We’ve also probably been on the receiving end of thoughtless words on more than one occasion. In any case, all of us know the power of an untamed tongue.

Scripture makes it clear that our words are important to God. Words are a barometer of the heart, and we can either use them for destruction or encouragement, for worship or for cursing.  James 3, in particular, does not mince words when it comes to the danger presented by a mouth run amok, but it also provides hope for believers to grow in this area.

Destructive + Dishonoring

The tongue is a small part of the body, yet still powerful in its ability to guide the rest of the body: even to disaster (v. 2-5). James compares the tongue to a blazing fire, a stubborn stain, an untamable beast, and a poison (v. 6-8). Without restraint, our words will quickly get out of our control and damage our reputation and relationships with others. We also dishonor God when we use our mouths for both blessing and cursing. Our evil, thoughtless words pollute our praise: 

With it [the tongue] we bless our Lord and Father, and with it, we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and saltwater?
James 3:9-11

As a dear friend of mine amusingly put it, this is the Bible’s way of saying: “You kiss your mama with that mouth?!”, except instead of disrespecting our mother, we're disrespecting God. Thoughtless words directed at God’s image-bearers not only hurt the hearer but also offend the one who created them. For the believer, that should be a deeply sobering statement. 

It’s obvious we’re meant to take these warnings to tame our tongues very seriously. But how?

At first glance, it may seem like James isn’t being very helpful at all. In verses 2 and 8, he basically promises that it’s impossible for a sinful human being to flawlessly control the tongue. 

Thanks, James. That sounds pretty hopeless. 

Thankfully, the remainder of the chapter reveals the cause of imprudent speech to lead the reader to the cure. 

Cause + Cure

Verses 13-16 contrast selfish ambition and humble wisdom. Respectively, they are the cause and the cure of foolish words. 

An unrestrained tongue is evidence of a self-seeking heart. Such a heart will pour out boasting and lies and eventually lead to disaster and “every vile practice” (v. 16). Our words are a measure of the health of our hearts because that is where they begin. When we allow sinful desires (like selfish ambition) to fester in our hearts, disgusting, evil words will pour out of our mouths. But, when our hearts cherish wisdom and righteousness, our words will be characterized by goodness:

The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. 
Luke 6:24

Where evil, thoughtless words come from a selfish heart, godly words come from godly wisdom. That wisdom is a gift that comes from God above, who reveals it to us through Scripture and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Wisdom leads to an abundance of righteousness: 

But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
James 3:17-18

Wisdom makes itself known in actions and words that are characterized by purity, peace, reasonableness, mercy, good fruit, impartiality, and sincerity. When we humbly seek to bring peace instead of conflict, the result will be bountiful righteousness expressed in our words and deeds. 

I don’t know about you, but I continue to mess up in this area, even though I’ve been a believer for most of my life. Even as Christians, we still speak before we think and wish we could take back our words. We may also feel the sting of thoughtless comments directed at us from believing brothers and sisters. In those times, we must remember that God’s love and mercy are without end, and are new every morning (Lamentations 3:22-23). We should be quick to repent when we allow sin to take root in our hearts and spill out in our words. We must also readily forgive our brothers and sisters in Christ who injure us with their words, as God forgives us, knowing that they have the same spiritual battles to fight that we do. 

Jesus’ death on the cross cleanses us of all unrighteousness, including our sinful words. His sacrifice gives us access to God the Father, who will generously grant us wisdom when we ask for it (James 1:5). Because of Jesus, we are also filled with the Holy Spirit, who changes our very hearts and desires to be more like Christ. This enables us to turn wisdom into God-honoring words and actions.

As God continues to transform us into the likeness of Christ, His Word, and the Holy Spirit will fill us with wisdom that pervades everything we say and do. 

Father, thank you for the powerful gift of our words. So often, we have used them unwisely. We repent with humility because we have used our mouths to hurt others and dishonor you. Thank you for sending your Son to redeem us, so that we can receive forgiveness. Please use your Holy Word to fill us with wisdom, and send us wise teachers who we can learn from. Fill us with your Holy Spirit so that we can grow in wisdom that makes itself known in our words and deeds. Let the things we say and do be characterized by purity, peace, gentleness, reason, mercy, fruitfulness, impartiality, and sincerity, so that we may reap a harvest of righteousness in peace for your glory. Make us more like Christ, especially in our words, so that our lives become an act of worship that glorifies you. Amen.

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Respond

What are your practical tips to tame the tongue? How do you pursue growth in the area of wisdom? 

A New Heart, a New Spirit, a New Home

Do you ever wish there was a reset button for your day? Or maybe your life?

We make the same mistakes over and over again and think we can never change. We give in to worry, anger, pride, envy, laziness, or any number of sins, and we feel trapped. We are ashamed and feel separated from God. 

Even believers feel this way sometimes because they have forgotten the freedom they have in the Gospel: Jesus provides our reset button. 

Prophesies made to Israel in the Old Testament point us forward to this hope that we have in Jesus. In Him, every believer has freedom from sin, having received a new heart, a new spirit, and a new home.

God's People Needed a Reset

When Ezekiel was a prophet among God’s people, they definitely needed a reset. Their kings had failed, leading the entire nation into sin. They rebelled against God, disobeying His law and worshiping idols. Eventually, discord even caused them to split up into two kingdoms: Israel in the north and Judah in the south. But dividing the kingdom did nothing to resolve their sin problem. They were stuck in their sin. Because of their faithlessness, God allowed first Israel, then Judah, to be captured by their enemies and taken into exile. 

In Ezekiel 36:22-24, God used His prophet, who was living in exile in Babylon, to assure the people that He would save them and restore them to their land. He would do it, not because they deserved it, but so that he could bring Himself glory among His people and all the nations. 

He went on to say in verses 25-28 that He would cleanse them from their sin and give them new hearts and spirits that delighted in obedience. He promised to make them a home in the land of their fathers and to dwell with them as their God.

I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules, You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be my people, and I will be your God. 
Ezekiel 36:22-28

Jesus Provides Our Reset

These promises were not just for God’s people living in exile during the 6th century B.C.. This prophecy predicts more than a return to a physical place, but the restoration of all of God’s people (including you and me) to a right relationship with God. Even if you feel trapped by sin, restoration is made possible through Jesus’ death and resurrection.

A New Heart

Jesus’ blood washes and cleanses us from our sin. The sinless Son of God takes on our transgressions so that we might be seen as righteous before the Father (2 Corinthians 5:21).  Instead of hearts that are hardened in rebellion, we are given new, soft hearts that will respond to God’s just and gracious leadership. 

A New Spirit

The Spirit of God dwells inside us so that we can be sanctified: transformed into the image of Christ (2 Corinthians 3:18). God’s law is written on our hearts so that our very desires change: we delight to do His will (Psalm 40:8). 

A New Home

We are also not rejected or sent away from God. Instead, we are welcomed into His family as dearly loved children (Ephesians 5:1). We are also promised a future, perfect, eternal home with Him on the New Earth:

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
Revelation 21:1-4

Have Hope

If you feel trapped in sin today, remember the promises God has given to each and every believer. We have a new heart, a new spirit, and a new home, so that we don’t have to feel stuck anymore. We have hope. Jesus gave us a reset. If we pray that God will remind us of these truths and give us faith to believe them, He will faithfully do so as He continues to transform us into the image of Christ.

Precious Father, thank you for sending your son to make me clean from my sin. Help me not to be tempted by sin and worldly idols, but fulfill your promise to make me more like Christ: a brand new person.  Give me a new heart that is soft and responsive to your Word. Fill me with the Holy Spirit so that my greatest desire is to obey you with joy and gratitude. Thank you for adopting me into your family, and preparing a home for me in eternity. Amen.

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Respond

How should our understanding of the new heart, spirit, and home that Jesus offers change the way we live? How can we remind ourselves of this truth when we feel stuck in sin?