I said here that I would share more about what my church has been doing and how the testimonies have been pouring out. So here’s what’s up. We’ve been doing a declaration before collecting tithes and offerings and it goes something like this:
Lord as we are returning our tithes to You and giving You our offerings, we are believing and declaring for: Jobs, high paying jobs and promotions; raises and surprised bonuses; benefits sales, and commissions; favorable settlements, estates, and inheritance; gifts and surprises; rebates and returns; checks in the mail; debts divinely erased and paid off; wisdom in business and finding money; expenses decreases; blessings and increases. Thank You, Lord, for meeting all of my financial needs that I may have more than enough to give into the Kingdom of God and promote the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Hallelujah! Amen!
And the testimonies have been pouring out. Checks in the mail. Cash on the streets (a sister found $200 in a dark and empty parking lot after she felt God impress in her heart to pull over). Expenses decreased. Jobs, promotions, and raises. Good return on investments. Money transferred into bank accounts out of the blue. Debts erased and paid off.
A few weeks ago, I received a letter from the government. A company had been trying to reach me because they had my property. After sorting things out, a check came in the mail for me. And then there’s the surprise gift of a trip to D.C.
The Lord is good indeed!
But have you noticed that the promises of God comes with a clause or two? It’s not without our part. Like Malachi 3:10. We must first give our tithes, and then the blessings will come. Or John 3:16. We believe before we are saved.
It’s faith in action. It’s NOT us moving God into action, as if He cannot move on His own. Instead, think of it as making our actions speak louder than our words.
I’ve been wanting to make my actions speak louder than my words.
As I’ve told you, our children’s ministry is transitioning into family ministry, and a big part of me wants the change to happen NOW. I think we should be doing this or that, or at least starting to implement some Orange elements.
But we’re not.
All I’ve done is bring down the vision to my team and the church pastors and leaders. I’ve made some announcements and changes in our Facebook page as well. My next step is to announce the change, but the Sundays are just not working out. Part of me feels ineffective, but I believe I’m in God waiting room.
When you go to the doctor or the dentist, you spend some time in the waiting room. Then they bring you into a room, and you wait some more. It’s like you’re at your appointment, but you’re doing nothing. In reality, you’re taking care of your health. You’re doing your part to be healthier, but it involves waiting. Lots of it.
But it’s not a waste of your time.
Waiting has a purpose. (Click to Tweet)
The doctors/nurses and dentists/dental assistants prepare for your visit while you wait. They bring up your records, prepare the room/instruments, and do what they need to do to make your visit informational.
While we wait, God prepares too. Maybe He’s the hearts of the people so they’ll be ready to receive our message or the changes. Maybe He’s preparing to send us resources, support, other leaders, or whatever else we don’t even know we need. Maybe He’s preparing us, readying us for the change or for the awesome things He’ll do.
I want to jump into all the action of family ministry, but I’ve realized that waiting is action. (Tweet that!)
Sure we can wait and actually waste time by doing nothing. But waiting can be part of our faith in action because God’s waiting room doesn’t have out-dated magazines and a random movie playing on a small tv screen.
God’s waiting room is filled with things that prepare us. Books. Resources. Other first timers that share our burdens. Veterans that give us tips and guidance. And even moments that test our patience, our endurance, our people skills, and so much more.
I want to jump into action, but waiting is action too. Those moments of prayer and of learning don’t look like much action, but they are. They’re more behind-the-scenes, but no less important than the things you do that people don’t see.
What does waiting look like for you?
