I will never forget the look on his face. A look of confusion, bewilderment and disbelief shrouded my husband’s face the day he came home from work. I was in the kitchen preparing dinner when he came in and handed me a letter from his office, expressing that due to necessary restructuring, his service was no longer needed.
The news was like a heavy blow that completely caught us off guard. How did we go from preparing a family meal to not knowing where our next meal would come from? In the midst of the storm we felt brewing around us, we both resolved within our hearts to trust the Lord, no matter what the future held.
Yet as the days and weeks went on, we definitely had our moments of doubt, despair and defeat.
As my husband began the process of searching for new employment opportunities, part of me wanted to jump in and help. I contemplated getting a job to help with our finances, but I sensed that the Lord was calling me to stay right where I was–home with our kids. Years earlier I knew that God was calling me to stay home with our young kids and homeschool.
As much as I wanted to go out and do something, God was calling me to stay.
Have you ever felt the urge to go, but knew God was calling you to stay? We live in such a busy culture that no one wants to stay put for very long. We are constantly pushed to go, go, go…but what if God is calling us to slow down, stop, and stay right where we are? Are we brave enough to heed his call in the midst of our hurried world?
What if God is calling us to slow down, stop, and stay right where we are?
I am reminded of the story of Jesus and Lazarus in John 11. Lazarus was deathly ill, and needed urgent attention–yet Jesus stayed where he was two more days after he received the message that Lazarus was sick. Later on, the unthinkable happens–Lazarus died (John 11:14-15). His loved ones were overwhelmed with grief. Why would Jesus delay his arrival? Why did Jesus stay when others needed him so desperately?
Sometimes God calls us to stay to reveal a greater glory. Share on XJesus raised Lazarus from the dead so that others would see the omnipotent power of God. This only took place because Jesus stayed where he was, and trusted God’s perfect timing.
If you are in a season of waiting, trust in God, and be brave enough to stay. Here are three things we can do to stay in the midst of Him working.
Stay connected to the Vine.
Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. John 15:4 (NIV)
Jesus invites us to stay connected to him by remaining in him. The art of abiding is trusting him in the midst of life’s challenges; to stay, remain, and rest in him as our source of strength.
Stay connected through prayer.
After his resurrection, Jesus instructed the disciples to stay in the city to receive the Holy Spirit. As they waited on God, they stayed in the upper room and “joined together constantly in prayer…” (Acts 1:12-14). It was in this season of waiting and fervent prayer that the Holy Spirit came mightily in their midst.
Before the disciples were called to go and make disciples of all nations, God called them to stay.
Sometimes God calls us to stay before he calls us to go. Share on XStay connected to community.
If you are in a difficult season of waiting on God, don’t wait alone. Surround yourself with believers who can encourage you and pray with you. During our season of staying, members of our church showered us with prayers, love and support. God provided for our needs as we received checks in the mail, grocery gift cards, and meals sent to our home. Staying connected to community was definitely a blessing!
I praise God for His faithfulness to our family, because after months of waiting, he recently opened a door for my husband to step into a new position of leadership in our city. God completely orchestrated the timing of this opportunity, and we are truly grateful. If I had jumped ahead of God, we might have missed it.
When we trust God and are brave enough to stay connected to the Vine, he will prepare our hearts for the harvest, and equip us to go and bear fruit that will last for eternity!
Christin Baker is a wife, homeschool mom, blogger, and passionate lover of Jesus. As a former elementary school teacher and curriculum developer, she worked for years in children’s ministry, and writes children’s articles for a Christian magazine called The Banner. Her desire is to help women discover their true beauty, purpose, and identity through the spiritual clothing of Christ. She writes at garmentsofsplendor.com.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/garmentsofsplendor/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/christinbaker12
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/garmentsofsplen/
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Sisters, we are called to walk the way of hope instead of the way of defeat. We must claim more than our title of “Daughter of the King.” We must step up and also claim our position.
And we must claim these together. As a sisterhood; a sisterhood of brave women who stand strong in the promises of who God is and who we are.
- We all are Made for Brave.
- We are made to live for something authentic and brave.
- In living brave, we silence the past, transform the future, and take a front row seat to God’s wild and uncontainable love!
So, I’m inviting you to join this Made for Brave Sisterhood, each Monday as we share our stories and allow God to bring hope and healing. Let’s commit to being authentic and brave, one step at a time, side by side, holding each other up and nudging each other toward our true selves. And let’s claim the victory waiting on the other side of brave; for ourselves and our sisterhood.
Let’s celebrate our tears and our struggles as we peel away the layers of fear to reveal the beauty of brave.
Let’s risk everything that brave requires for everything that brave has to offer…
Becoming who we were created to be!
Join the Made for Brave Sisterhood Every Monday - Sharing our stories of becoming who we were created to be! #MadeforBrave #Sisterhood Share on XDo you have a Made for Brave story to share? Get the writing guidelines and submit your stories HERE!
