Hope In The Waiting: An Appointed Time For All Things

Today's post is just as much for me as it is for you. Honestly, I wouldn't even be writing this if it weren't for the sermon we had today at church.

We've been in a series called The Sower and today was the conclusion of the series. For six weeks, we've learned about sowing good seeds with the hopes of (1) being a blessing to others and (2) reaping a good harvest for ourselves. We do this by planting the ultimate good seed in the soil of our hearts, and that seed is the Word of God.

By studying God's Word, we are equipped with the knowledge and spirit of Christ that allows us to be good sowers, good followers of Christ, and good neighbors. This was an excellent series topic and I encourage you to dive deeper into it by watching the recordings on Youtube. But, for me, it was today's conclusion that really hit home. These words came directly from God to me at a time when I needed to hear them. It was the appointed time for this message and so, maybe it is the appointed time for this post.

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There Is An Appointed Time For All Things

Today, our pastor spoke to us on the importance of not losing hope in the waiting. He referenced several scriptures driving home the point that "With God, there is due season." With God, it is not an if but when. The Lord assures us that the season will change, the seed will sprout, and the harvest will come.

"Let us not grow weary in well-doing, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up." Galatians 6:9

"He has made everything beautiful in its time." Ecclessiates 3:11

"For the time to favor her, the set time, has come." Psalm 102:13

This message and these scriptures changed my perspective of God and my perspective of time. Because I am still new to God's Word and my relationship with the Lord is still in the early stages, I am still learning new things about Him. I am still learning how to walk in surrender and trust Him.

What I've realized is that, for most of my life, I've lived as if I'm in the driver's seat, as if God is following me rather than me being the one following Him. This perspective has taken the authority over my life out of God's hands and put it into mine. At least that's how I felt. This mindset has made me feel like I am responsible for everything in my life. I am responsible for the timing of my life, the blessings in my life, the relationships in my life. And even though I've surrendered my life to the Lord, it's still easy for me to slip into that old mindset if I'm not careful.

For many years, I abided by the lie that my blessings are based on my performance. If I'm not good enough, God will not give me good things. I felt the pressure of perfection in the waiting season. I assumed the reason I had not reaped the harvest I was desiring was because I wasn't good enough, worthy enough; I hadn't proven myself to God enough. And that only continued to fuel my pursuit of perfection while contributing to exhaustion and weariness.

Side note: Today, our praise team introduced a new song that spoke to this very lie. The lyrics said: "It's not about performance." Literally, this entire service came straight from God to me.

I was not able to rest in hope, because I didn't know how to have hope in anyone but myself. I did not see God as a safe person to put my hope in. Hope in the Lord felt like passivity, like I was giving up hope altogether. Yet, I also couldn't trust myself to bring about the harvest I was desiring, because all of my attempts had failed and led to more heartbreak. I spent years in a catch 22 of hopelessness. But, with God, there is due season.

There is an appointed time for all things. That word appointed has changed everything for me.

God is not leaving my life or your life up to chance. Psalm 139:16 tells us, "And in your book they are written all the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them." God has already written each of our stories. He wrote them before we were born. While Psalm 139:14 is most quoted--"For I am fearfully and wonderfully made"--I think verse 16 is just as incredible and important.

God is not a Father who abandons us after conception, leaving everything that will happen to us up to chance. He has orchestrated our lives, is orchestrating our lives. He is working behind the scenes, aligning things we are yet to see. Like a good author, there are no filler chapters in our stories. Every chapter, or season, is leading to the ultimate resolution or happily ever after. There is an appointed time for all things. And while we endure the waiting, His Spirit is with us.

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Have Hope Even When It's Hard

Our pastor said, "Do not give up. Don't quit. Be patient enough to trust God to bring the harvest at the appointed time." He said, "It is not our job to know when or how the Lord will bring the harvest, but to trust that He will."

Whatever you're waiting on--that promotion, that relationship, that child--the Lord assures us that He will bring the harvest. It's not an if but when.

A special note to my single girls waiting for marriage, so many will say, "the Lord does not promise you a husband," but the Word of God says:

"Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy." Psalm 126:5-6

"If we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perserverance." Romans 8:25

If you desire a husband, wait eagerly (expectantly) for him. The Lord never asks us to give up our good desires. The Lord never asks us to relinquish our hope, but encourages us to hope, to not grow weary, to perservere. Desiring marriage is not only a good thing but a God thing. So, don't lose hope.

Regardless of what you're waiting for, the same message applies. Be a sower even when it's not easy, even when you're in tears, even when you're battling hopelessness. Be a sower by reading the Word of God to restore your hope. Be a sower by following the teachings of Christ and loving others. Be a sower by spreading good seed, the truth of the Word of God, wherever you go.

We cannot control the timing of our harvest, but we know that a harvest is coming. And with the Lord, it will be good.

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Hope Is Not Rebellion ~ It's An Act of Faith

When you're desiring something as strongly as I desire marriage, you may question if your hope is a sign of idolatry or rebellion, a lack of contentment or fulfillment. I know I have and I've felt guilty. But today's message presented a new perspective on hope.

Accompanied by the scriptures above, Lamentations 3:26 says "It is good for a man to hope and wait on the Lord."

Our hope is not rooted in selfishness or resistance to God's will. Our hope in the Lord is an act of faith.

For many years I said, "He can, but will He?" in regards to my desire for marriage. Actually, I said the same thing when my dad was diagnosed with cancer. I knew God could heal Him, but would He? I know God can bring me a husband, but will He? This was not hope nor faith. This was doubt and doubt is the opposite of faith.

So, do not feel guilty for hoping in the Lord, for desiring that Godly thing. The Lord wants us to hope for the harvest He will bring, Our hope acknowledges His power, His goodness, His faithfulness, and His love. Our hope is an act of faith, trust, patience, and obedience.

"Hope deferred makes the heart sick." Proverbs 13:12 While our hope may be burdensome for us, it is not burdensome to the Lord. He is not in Heaven rolling His eyes, waiting for us to give up, let go, and move on.

Psalm 139 reveals that the Lord knows us, understands our thoughts, is aquainted with all our ways, and hears us when we are silent. It says the Lord formed us and saw our substance before we were formed. All are our days are written in His book. His thoughts toward us are precious and endless.

After the sermon today and diving even deeper into scripture, I personally believe that God is not only the Lord of the Harvest but the Lord of Hope.

"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." Hebrews 11:1

He knows the harvest He is going to bring in your life. He has already written your story and is simply weaving it together in real-time. If you have a specific desire buried in your heart, something you cannot let go of hope for--even when hope is hard--I think it's because you're not meant to let go.

Your hope is proof of the thing not yet seen. Your hope is proof of the harvest to come. Your hope is the seed of the harvest to come. Your hope comes from God. He's not asking you to give it up.

That perspective has allowed me to view my hope differently. I don't desire marriage because I am selfish. While the places my desire for marriage have taken me--mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually--haven't always been healthy, the desire itself is from God. The hope I have for marriage is from God. Knowing that actually makes my hope feel even more special. It's not just that I want marriage, but God wants marriage for me.

Let your hope be proof of God's goodness, proof of His love for you. Let your persistent hope be a reminder that God is working behind the scenes, aligning things that will one day present a harvest He ordained for you before you were even born.