HOW TO POSITION YOURSELF AS YOU WAIT ON GOD.

Estimated reading time: 14 minutes

So here you are a year+, as you wait on God for the physical manifestation of the promise. Maybe it has been 2,3 or maybe even 4+ years and you have grown so weary that you are doubting if it will ever happen for you. I am not even talking about the outright show of disappointment. I am talking about the quiet quitting of God. The hidden one that only you can see because it’s been going on for years. Do you know that one? Well, that’s hope deferred. And at this point, your heart has become so so sick that you no longer hope for it. And the worst one is when you even try to hide your disappointment from people. I mean, you become so numb that you have no expression. Is that you today? Well, I have a word for you.

And before I tell you what I want to share with you. I want you to know that I feel you, I see you, and I hear you. I know you have been waiting on God for far too long. And you have seen people get in and out of the wilderness season while you are still in it. I know that you have grown so weary that you have even put that whole desire aside and adjusted to your environment. And maybe you have even lowered your desires and expectations so much so that you have become comfortable with your limitation. That’s why I want to talk to you today. Daughter of God, I want to remind you who you are.

I know the wilderness has sucked you dry, and you feel you have no energy. And maybe life has been sapped out of you. Now your reflection is full of pain and anguish. Or worse, you have resigned to celebrating others and never even hope that you will be celebrated one day too. But do you know something? This is something so familiar. Some people went through the same, too. And you know what? Eventually, they, too, received the desires of their heart. It’s difficult to believe that God will fulfill the desires of your heart. Especially if you have been waiting for a long time.

But you know what? God will fulfill the desires of your heart. And sometimes the reason He is allowing others to experience breakthroughs before might be because He wants to ignite your faith. It’s easier to believe that He will do it for you when you see Him do it for others. And I know you have trusted Him for such a long time and have felt like He disappointed you repeatedly. But child of God, God will do it for you too. You might look at your current circumstance and wonder how it is going to happen. Who knows, you could be next.

Maybe you have been out of employment for 6+ years. And you know employers prefer someone with a shorter gap between jobs. Or maybe you have had the desire to further your education. But there have been no funds available for that. And maybe you are scared that you will not grasp things as quickly because you have been out of school for so long. Maybe you have been looking at your current circumstances, wondering how anything will happen for you, considering all odds are against you.

And today I want to encourage you the best way I know how, and that is through the word of God. Do you know why? His word is true and will stand the test of time. The word of God has been tried time and time again and has proven to be true. 

Let me ask you this: when Moses was delivering the Israelites, did it seem like they would ever get out? No! Probably they had given up all hope and even adjusted to their current situation. But just like that, the time came when finally they received their deliverance. What about Abraham? For 25 years, he waited for the blessing that God had given him. Imagine having to wait for a promise from God. Mind you, when God gave him that word, he was already old, 75 years to be exact. And now he had to wait another 25 years. Wow. Talk about a wilderness season. Abraham reached that place where you have right now. I am talking about the place where he made do with what he had. In his own strength, Ishmael was born.

Abraham helped God because he did not even think it was possible for God to even bring the promise to pass. The aim of this story is to encourage you who has lost hope and even started doing things with your own strength. I want you to know that God still wants to fulfill the promise He gave to you. He has not canceled the promise because you did it your way. He just wants you to repent and trust Him again. You know, whenever you sin and come back to God, it does not mean that you are starting over with Him again.

Usually, you go on from where you left things off. You might have some adjusting and some path He will take you for your healing. But you are not starting from scratch. Look at the example of the prodigal son. When he returned to his father, he did not start over with him. His father was so happy that he was back, that he even threw him a party. Abraham did not have to earn his promise because of his sin.

God had already given it to him. It was now up to him to receive it. That’s how he positioned himself. The same case applies to you. All you need to do is correctly position yourself and when the time is right, God will make it happen. So let’s get on with the story of today. 

Today I want us to focus on the Shunamite woman. She had experienced hope deferred for a long time, that even when Elisha tried to give her a prophecy of her conception and the birth of her son, she could not receive it. Is this you? Has hope deferred caused great pain you don’t even want to think about it? Maybe you have even stopped thinking about it.

Read this also: How to position yourself when God asks you to start over.

Have you buried the desire so far away to stop feeling the pain of disappointment? This was what the Shunamite Wan was experiencing. She had tried to have a child for so long that she even gave the room that was meant for her child, probably to Elisha. She literally buried her dream. Friend, can you relate to what she did? Have you even started giving out part of the things you were holding on to because you do not think that God will do it for you? 

One day Elisha passed through Shunem. A leading lady of the town talked him into stopping for a meal. And then it became his custom: Whenever he passed through, he stopped by for a meal. “I’m certain,” said the woman to her husband, “that this man who stops by with us all the time is a holy man of God. Why don’t we add on a small room upstairs and furnish it with a bed and desk, chair and lamp, so that when he comes by he can stay with us?”

And so it happened that the next time Elisha came by he went to the room and lay down for a nap. Then he said to his servant Gehazi, “Tell the Shunammite woman I want to see her.” He called her and she came to him. Through Gehazi, Elisha said, “You’ve gone far beyond the call of duty in taking care of us; what can we do for you? Do you have a request we can bring to the king or to the commander of the army?” She replied, “Nothing. I’m secure and satisfied in my family.” 2 Kings 4:8‭-‬13 MSG

This woman had buried the pain so so deep that she was used to pretending that she was okay. But God could see that she was not okay. God saw her desire for a child. And He wanted to confront the pain she had been harboring for years through Elisha. And still even in the presence of a prophet. She must have heard of the miracles he performed and felt her need was too big to be fulfilled. So she said she needed nothing. You know, God can see that hidden desire you are harboring. He sees through the mask and faces you try to put on. And yes, you might do so subconsciously. It is possible that she had to drown accustomed to her limitation that she did not think she had anything missing. Notice her response when Elisha tried to confront it. 

Elisha conferred with Gehazi: “There’s got to be something we can do for her. But what?” Gehazi said, “Well, she has no son, and her husband is an old man.” “Call her in,” said Elisha. He called her and she stood at the open door. Elisha said to her, “This time next year you’re going to be nursing an infant son.” “O my master, O Holy Man,” she said, “don’t play games with me, teasing me with such fantasies!” 2 Kings 4:14‭-‬16 MSG

Child of God, is this you? God wants to heal you and free you from hope deferred. And He will do so by confronting that deep wound again. This time it is because He wants to heal you. 

So then how can you effectively wait on God?

• Believe again
• Focus on God
• Focus on being someone else’s solution

Believe again as you wait for God to move on your behalf.

This, quite frankly, is the hardest step ever. Believing that it will happen to you after the numerous letdown is such a scary thing to do. And it is very easy to even become cynical. After all, how can you open your heart again when the odds are higher that you will experience disappointment? But can I encourage you to hope again? In the waiting, choose to believe again.

Believe that this time it will different. And this is the year where finally everything falls in place. I am waiting on God for some things too. And I want to challenge you as I challenge myself to believe again. Let’s believe that God can do what He promised. Let’s believe that this time we will experience the breakthrough we so deeply yearn for. Shall we believe we are next in line? If you want to be a part of my mailing list, consider subscribing and becoming a part of the family. It is in the waiting that belief and faith are exercised. Believe that God is good and He will do it for you, too.

Anyway back to it. Let’s make a pact that we will believe that God will do it for us regardless of how bad things look. Let’s trust God will do it for us this time. 

Focus on God as you wait on Him.

If you tried to do it in your own strength, let me ask you this, has it worked out for you as you thought? Do you wish you had waited on God? He will not ostracize you, just turn to Him. The beauty of our God is that He is always waiting with outstretched arms to welcome you back to His kingdom and embrace you.

Stop dwelling in the midst of guilt and shame because of what you have done. Trust fully on Him. Rely on Him as your strength because that’s where your help comes from. He is the one who can do it for you. He keeps His promises and He promises to do exactly what He promised. Turn back to God and repent. Focus on God. It is in Him that you will find the fullness and fulfillment you are so deeply yearning for. In Him, you will find the strength needed to have faith and believe in Him again. It is in Him that you will be healed to hope for that dream once more.

Don’t lose hope. It could happen today. And you know the day it happens. You will forget the pain of waiting. You will have so much joy that the past pain will be insignificant compared to the joy. Darling, hold on. Jesus is healing you right now. You are in the operating room. He is working on you, healing all the wounds in your heart. He is doing so because you will not even look like what you have been through when He reveals you. While you are in the waiting season, Jesus is preparing to launch you into your season of abundance.

Meshack, Shadrack, and Abednego did not come out of the furnace smelling like fire. The Bible says that not even a single hair on their head was burned. Imagine that. This will be you. You will not come out of the fire smelling like fire. Hold on. Let Jesus do the work that He is doing. That way, you will be ready when He reveals you. And the best part?

The best part is that He will reintroduce you to the identity He gave you before the beginning of time. Wait for it. God is about to reintroduce you. There will be a double joy for your trouble. And this is a promise from God. Do not fret while you are in the waiting season, because you will receive the recompense for all you have lost. Hold on.

Focus on being someone else’s solution to their problem while you wait on God.

It was at the intersection of meeting Elisha’s need that the Shunammite woman received her miracle. The widow of Zarephath also had her miracle because she willingly lay aside her problems to meet that of Elijah. Whose needs can you meet today? And how can you be of service? Your miracle could be in the intersection of your service to others.

God will usually connect you to someone who is in need. This same person could also solve your need. Both Elijah and the widow of Zarephath had their need met because of their obedience. What can you do? Remember that you are never fully depleted. God has put something in you. Use that and watch how God brings about your miracle and breakthrough. God knows how your skill or resource will help you help others. This same resource or skill will help others help you.

Conclusion

I know that you have been in the waiting season for such a long that you have lost hope. Maybe you have waited on God for 5+ years. Hold on because God is about to do it for you. He is in your neighborhood and you are next. Don’t worry about the how. As long as you are hidden in the Who. That’s all that matters. Get ready for your reintroduction because it is soon coming. Child of God, when you see WHY God had you wait, you will be glad that you waited. You have never been an afterthought to Him. He has you in His hands, meaning He watches over you day and night. He has not forgotten about you. You are still in His perfect plan. It was always a matter of His timing. 

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The woman conceived. A year later, just as Elisha had said, she had a son. 2 Kings 4:17 MSG

The Shunamite woman had a son just as Elisha had prophesied. God will do exactly what He said He will do. And when He does you will rejoice because finally, God will have remembered you. He is faithful to fulfill what He said. In the waiting, let these scriptures encourage you. And never forget that God can do it for you too. If He promised you something, He will bring it to fulfillment. Trust Him.

The smallest family will become a thousand people, and the tiniest group will become a mighty nation. At the right time, I, the Lord, will make it happen.” Isaiah 60:22 NLT