“The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”
Exodus 14:14
About a year ago, I entered a season when God rapidly and unexpectedly moved me out of certain circumstances and into new territory. I was overwhelmed at the perfection of His timing and His goodness during those months of transition.
When the new year began, I felt that God was calling me down additional new paths. I followed the leading of the Holy Spirit and continued to walk in obedience. Subsequently, several areas of my life came to a complete standstill.
I retraced my steps to ensure I had followed God’s prompting and not my own desires. During the time when I pursued these new paths, I had been in fervent prayer for wisdom, and to be obedient to where the Lord wanted me to be. Why suddenly did every path I follow come to a halt?
During this unexpected detour in the waiting room, I began to search for resources to help me understand why God was suddenly quiet. I came upon a sermon by Priscilla Shirer. Priscilla Shirer is a Christian author, evangelist, and speaker, and is the daughter of renowned pastor Tony Evans.
Priscilla was speaking at a women’s conference, and the topic of her sermon was “When it Feels Like God is Doing Nothing.” She recounted a story of a conversation she had with her youngest son when he was little. They were discussing the possibilities of career paths he could follow once he became an adult, and they talked about the different callings of the members of their family.
Her son announced, “Mom, when I grow up, I want to do what you do!” At first, Priscilla was honored to hear her son flatter her with that compliment, until he said, “I want to do nothing when I grow up!”
Of course, the women at the conference erupted in laughter. After all, Priscilla has written dozens of books and has ministered to countless people of faith during her lifetime. She reminded her son that, as a wife and a mother first, she cooked meals, took care of her family, and managed a household. “Yeah, but that is normal “mom” stuff,” her son declared.
To a small child, it appeared that Priscilla did not have a job. She did not commute to a traditional office building every day, nor did she have set office hours. He did not view her writing or her speaking engagements as conventional “work” obligations.
Priscilla used this as an analogy for when we, as followers of Christ, feel like God has gone silent. When we pray to Him to lead and guide our paths, we expect Him to always be working in mighty and enormous and obvious ways – much like what Priscilla’s son expected work to look like for adults.
Priscilla’s son did not see her research, her preparation, her prayer time, her communication, and her organization as “work.” He believed she did nothing.
During seasons of stillness and expectation in our lives, we also do not see God quietly orchestrating future opportunities and advocating on our behalf. We believe the Lord is doing nothing.
In Romans 8:28, we are reminded that, “… in all things, God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” If we have faith and assurance that God has a plan and intention for our lives, how do we respond when our Father grows quiet?
When I realized my calling during this particular season of life was to simply wait while the Lord worked behind the scenes, I leaned into what I knew to be true.
I knew to pray without ceasing. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God.” (Philippians 4:6-7.) I did not know what would come next in my life, but I stayed in continued prayer for God to move.
I knew to stay rooted in the Word, continuing to read a portion of my Bible every day. “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17.) I did not know what would come next in my life, but not only did I glean wisdom from Scripture, but I felt closer to the Lord while I read.
I knew to continue leaning into the Father. I rested in His goodness and comfort, even when I did not understand why I was called to wait. “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:7.) I did not know what would come next in my life, but I was content with the peace of God.
And I remembered, as followers of Christ, there is a purpose in our waiting.
“I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope; my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning.” (Psalm 130:5-6)
“Wait for the Lord, be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” (Psalm 27:14.)
“When the time is right, I, the Lord, will make it happen.” (Isaiah 60:22.)
There were several unexpected insights revealed to me during this season of waiting. Ironically, God called me to narrow my circle even further, and continue retreating inward. As someone who frequently feels called to “be in the world but not of it,” this came as a bit of a surprise. But I remained obedient to His nudging, even if it produced a brief season of loneliness as a result.
By the time summer began, I was ushered out of the waiting room. New and exciting paths began to unfold that I was not only eager to follow, but – because I had spent a season in prayer and expectation – I was prepared and equipped to follow. Additionally, I was grateful that some former paths reemerged, and were restored and renewed in beautiful ways.
When I look back over this past year, I am grateful for not only the exciting transitions, but also the time spent in the waiting room. In my youth, before having a relationship with Christ like I have now (a relationship which is not perfect by any means, but continues to grow with each year,) I would have grown weary and impatient with my circumstances. I would have likely taken matters into my own hands, fumbling opportunities in the process, instead of recognizing that God was working behind the scenes not only for my benefit, but also for His glory.
May we be reminded that when we enter a season of stillness and quiet, that God is fighting for us – we need only to be still.