In The In Between

My husband and I talk in conversations that go round and round, part dreaming and part questioning and part scared out of our minds at what the next steps may be. In three separate areas of our lives, we are staring into a great unknown. Question marks loom huge on our horizon, glaring brightly and taunting us toward action, even though we don't know what the action should be.

We echo the cry from 2 Chronicles 20:12, "We do not know what to do, but we are looking to You for help." In a society where "YOLO" reigns and people are most apt to act now and think later, we stand apart, poised for action but unmoving. The waiting time is hard. We are no longer where we were, but neither are we sure of where we are going. 

Our instinct is to fight against the pressure of the in between, to push back against the growing and stretching of our spirits that happens here. Our instinct is to hop back and forth from on foot to another, like a sprinter waiting to get set for the race. Our flesh tells us to just go ahead and pick something and move forward, because surely doing SOMETHING would feel better than waiting patiently. But God has a different plan for the waiting. 

Because right here, in the in between, is where the growing happens. The uncertainty of the in between causes us to draw even closer to God, seeking the quiet of His still waters in the midst of the questioning of our hearts. This is where God does the molding and shaping of our hearts and spirits that will need to happen before we move forward. Here is where our faith learns the disciplines of trust and perseverance and steadfastness that will be necessary if we are ever to walk into the plans He has for our future. So we wait, with heads bowed in prayer and eyes pouring over scripture.

Because just as He promised, at just the right time, He will respond to us (Isaiah 49:8). He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver. (Mal.3:3). And as L.B. Cowman so perfectly put it, "Like a true goldsmith, God stops the fire the moment He sees His image in the glowing metal... Don't steal tomorrow from God's hands. Give Him time to speak to you and reveal His will. He is never late. Then you will know you could never have served in your place of higher service without having been taught the very things you learned during your ordeal. God is in the process of educating you for future service and greater blessings." (Streams in the Desert)

We will wait, and seek, and study, and pray. And we will watch for Him to shine His light just enough for us to see the next step.