When God Tells Us ‘Wait’

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by Casey Herringshaw

“Oh, but God, why?”

Not able to attend the conference. The perfect agent or editor says no. The mentorship we crave is nowhere within reach.

“But God, I’m there. Can’t You see I’m ready?”

Um…would you be where you are right now, if you were “ready”?

We all have such a pre-conceived idea of what ready means. My book is done.

I’m ready.

I’ve gone to the conference and applied everything I learned.

I’m ready.

I’ve had a fantastic conversation with ABC agent or XYZ author.

I’m ready.

I’ve written ten books.

I’m ready.

But God says wait. It’s not your time yet. Keep writing, keep pushing those fingers across the keys and keep walking in faith, but keep waiting. What a difficult command to hear over and over again. But it’s one so many of us are familiar with in this industry. In a culture that demands instant gratification, we expect the same of our publishing professionals. Reality is that no one answers on an hour, daily, weekly, monthly basis when it comes to our books.

And we’re stuck waiting.

Reword that sentence: so we wait.

There is a difference. We aren’t “stuck” when we are right where God wants us to be. Rejection doesn’t equal where you should or shouldn’t be. A redirection doesn’t mean that God is throwing away your dream. Your dreams are given by a loving Father. He wants and desires the dreams of our hearts more than we do. He placed them there, now we need to commit our journey to Him. Because then the “waiting” isn’t truly waiting.

It’s discovery. Discovery of a dream God is unlayering upon our hearts.

Waiting doesn’t have to be a dry and dusty desert. Waiting is a proving ground, what will you do with the time you have? Will you spend it frittering away on Facebook and Twitter in the name of networking? Will you complain and count the hours, the emails that aren’t arriving and the call waiting of your phone, just sure that your golden break is begging at your door?

What if you took this time handed to you by God (yes, by God) and used it for His glory, as a faithful steward, trusting that He actually knows what He’s doing?

Waiting isn’t a time to be sucked away as quickly as we can. Waiting is a point in time where we have no expectations, no demands besides pursuing a dream God has given us. Those dreams are loaned to us for a season in our lives. Instead of wishing those seasons away, why don’t we embrace this period of waiting and praise God for the desert?

It might turn out to be the oasis you’ve been craving.


Casey Herringshaw is a homeschool graduate and lives in rural Eastern Oregon in a town with more cows than people. Casey is a member of ACFW and an assistant to the ACFW Carol Awards. You can connect with her through her blogs, Writing for Christ and The Writer’s Alley.

Comments 0

  1. Great article, Casey.

    Sometimes, I think waiting on God’s timing for whatever He has planned is easier for us, as writers, than it is for the family and friends of writers. We know things take a long time in this business. We know there are many more rejections than acceptances. But we can feel pressured by those who keep asking us when and why. Yes, this happens to me on occasion, but I don’t think I’m the only one.

  2. Sandra, yes! Or for me, it’s the fact that someone has surpassed me and accomplished what I’m yearning so hard towards. It’s in times like these that God sits me down hard and reminds me my timing is not HIS timing!

  3. Beautiful, Casey! You have such a wonderful way with words! I predict your ‘waiting’ won’t be near as long as some of us!

    We need to remember to enjoy the journey. Getting published is not the end of the journey, it’s just one more step along the way.

    Thanks for your inspiration!

    Cheers,
    Sue

  4. Susan, you are a great encouragement and I thank you, but whether my journey is long or short, I know God’s got this and remind myself of that often. Yes, publishing is very much about the journey and I wouldn’t be where I am now, without taking time to enjoy that journey every step of the way. 🙂

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