The Time Between...

Greetings, Dear Friends!

Susie Larson here...

And to those visiting, I say welcome! I post every Wednesday and my sole purpose is to nourish your soul.

Last month I mentioned that if you post on my blog you would be eligible for a $10.00 Caribou gift card. Well, that was so much fun, I've decided to give away two gift cards for the month of January!

Drum roll please...

Kathy Peterson and Rebecca Marshaw - you are the proud winners of a $10.00 gift card from Caribou; sure to keep you warm during this blustery winter season.

Please email me at: info@susielarson.com and let me know where I should send your card.

For February let's give away either a $10.00 Caribou card or a $10.00 Target card - your choice.

It blesses my heart to no end to hear from you. This journey can be a lonesome road and it always encourages me to know you're out there.

Now on to my topic.

The other morning, I was reading the 32nd chapter of Exodus. Moses was up on the mountain having a face to face encounter with God. His followers hadn't heard from him in a while and they got bored waiting for him.

Let's look in at their response:

When the people saw how long it was taking Moses to come back down the mountain, they gathered around Aaron. "Come on," they said, "make us some gods who can lead us. We don't know what happened to this fellow Moses, who brought us here from the land of Egypt."

This fellow?

Moses risked his life to secure their freedom. God used Moses to preform mighty miracles on their behalf. Moses wasn't just a fellow, he was the one God used to save them.

Moses' journey with the Israelites very much parallels Christ's journey with us.

And with that in mind, I noticed three things about the Israelites' reaction to Moses' delay:

Impatience with God's plan.

Minimizing God's place in their lives.

A willingness to default to idol worship.

And we do the very same thing.

We just have to look back over our shoulder to see some of the mighty ways God has moved on our behalf. We don't have to think too far back to recall the times He has met us and spoke directly to our hearts. Our faith is encouraged when we remember the ways God has come through for us when we needed Him most.

And yet, when we are asked to wait longer than we want for the thing He has promised, we get impatient, and we wonder about plan B. We are very quick to make a back up plan when God takes too long to come through for us.

Wouldn't God appreciate a little help on our part to, you know, hurry the plan along?

I mean He has the whole galaxy to manage, and well, this is just a little itty bitty thing to Him. Right?

Wrong.

Nothing is too hard for God, but that doesn't mean little things mean nothing to Him. He is the God of detail! Look at the butterfly, or the hummingbird, or the pedals of a flower. Try to wrap your brain around the human body! He loves detail and He is madly in love with us.

God is big. He is near. And He is intimately engaged in this journey with us. Even when He seems silent, He has a divinely wise purpose for being so.

His part in our journey is of ultimate importance to us. He hasn't forgotten us. He doesn't ever accidentally look away when we take our leaps of faith. He catches us when we jump. He lifts us up when we stumble. And when He makes us wait, it's because He's making us ready.

Our part is vitally important as well.

We must not think for a minute that He won't come through for us.

During the waiting season, we'll be tempted to get bored and lose heart. We'll be tempted minimize God's involvement in our process. And we'll be tempted to build a counterfeit with our own hands.

The time in between the promise and the realization of it, matters. Infinitely so.

The time in between shows us what we're made of.

The time in between is like the tide that pulls back to sea and reveals the garbage on the beach.

The time in between reveals our motives, our intentions, and our character.

When you are waiting for a certain breakthrough, how do you spend the time in between?

Do you see it as a time to leave the Well and play in mud puddles instead?

Do you stay by the Well but just bide your time by chewing your nails and watching the grass grow?

Or do you consider your time of waiting an active season? A time to lean in and listen. A time to keep your ear bent towards heaven and your eyes fixed on Jesus?

Waiting is a true test of our hearts.

When we don't get what we want when we want it, our impatience surfaces. Our selfishness rears its ugly head. Our sense of entitlement makes us clench our fists and grit our teeth.

And that's why the time in between is so important.

It's a time to humble ourselves and admit our need for more of Christ's character in us.

It's a time to allow God to make us more fit for the blessing He so longs to give.

And it's a time to pursue a deeper relationship with God. More than the treasures we receive from His hand, may we treasure the gift of better knowing His heart.

Over and over again, we read stories from the Bible of people who mishandled the time in between.

One of my favorite stories in the Bible is of Joseph from the Old Testament.

God gave him a mighty vision for his life, and then allowed him to endure one injustice after another. And what did Joseph do with his time in between?

He was faithful and patient and humble. And every time, he rose to the top of the pile.

His character proved him ready to handle the management of a mighty nation.

This morning I was reading from the book of Matthew where Jesus was warning the disciples not to be deceived. He said that many will be partying and getting drunk right up to the moment Christ returns to earth.

Here again, whether we like it or not, we are living in the "time in between" when Christ came and when He comes again.

Will we get bored of waiting and make our own idols?

Or will we use this time to deal with what our inconveniences bring up in us?

Jesus wonders this, "When I return will I find faith on the earth?"

May He find faith in our hearts and faithfulness in our footsteps!

No matter what breakthrough you're waiting for, be faithful in the waiting.

It's important time.

Have a blessed week~

Comments

[Rebecca Marshaw]

Wow thank you so much for the gift card!! I enjoy coffee and it will be a nice treat:)I agree with you completely that we need to wait on the Lord. I have a pretty cool story about how I waited on the Lords timing. One of my key verses is in Psalms 40:1-4Maybe someday I can tell you about it.Another cool thing I wanted to tell you is I will be at the Cross Point Womens Retreat this weekend! I cant wait to hear you speak again. I had such a wonderful time last year. Your a blessing to my life Susie! Thank you!! ~Rebecca

[LaurenM]

ouch. This is something I struggle with. The tendency to rush things and when things work out like I was hoping it's easy to believe that it must have been God. I wonder how often I've missed out on something so much better than what I had planned because I got tired of waiting. Thanks for this post. My hubby and I are in the middle of waiting to see how God will answer a prayer. What you've said is such a good reminder to actually WAIT until he reveals what His good and perfect will is.

[Chris Clements]

This is such a great reminder, Susie! Tom and I were just talking about this very thing a couple weeks ago. The pressure society puts on us is to move on when something spectacular isn't happening, but God is invested in our hearts and us knowing HIM. This is where the rubber meets the road. I've also noticed it can be a hard lesson for our kids to learn in this instantaneous America. It's a good thing if they can see us living it. I have a feeling farmers may understand the "in between" seasons much better. They have a purpose and are absolutley needed.

Thanks for the reminder!

[Susie Larson]

Wow, Rebecca,

I didn't know you were a local girl!

I will look forward to meeting you (again) at the upcoming retreat.

Thanks so much for your great input.

Blessings to you, dear sister!

[Susie Larson]

Dear Lauren,

Thanks so much for your note.

You know, I think given the society in which we live, it's tough for most of us to wait. And yet I'm convinced that we do miss a much greater blessing when we take matters into our own hands.Bless you for your post!

[Susie Larson]

Hi Chris,

I love that you mentioned farmers. Wow, what lessons they can teach us!

I say if we can teach our children the value and the virtue of waiting, we will set them up for success.

God bless you~

[Kathy Schwanke]

Wow Suzie, I am in such a time right now, and feeling all squirmy, and yet hearing God's voice saying "peace, be still" I am refining you, wait.Okay, Lord...Please help!!Thanks for the post!Kathy

[Susie Larson]

Hi Kathy,

Boy, you used a good word: "Squirmy."

Don't we all feel that way at some time or another?

That restless feeling gets under our skin and we feel like we just have to move! Have to intervene! Have to get our hands in there.

You know what I do when I feel like that?

I work out extra hard...and I pray. :) For some reason the combination of the two really settles me.

What do you do?

We're all different, no?

Thanks so much for stopping by!

God bless you~

[Kathy Schwanke]

Hi Suzie, What do I do when I am squirmy...I probably should work out harder:> I do keep working out though doing my regular routine, and like you, I pray alot. And then I try to find things to do that bless others so I don't think about what I want. (Lord, use me while I am on "simmer".)Practice patience and contentment...I know He needs to work out so much more in me during those (this) times. I pray I cooperate. PS I'll be seeing you again at Day Set Apart for Women in March. I have been so blessed by your teaching.Love ya, Kathy

[Susie Larson]

Great, Kathy!

Looking forward to meeting you!

Blessings to you~

[Kathy]

Thanks for the gift card, Susie. My husband and I are also in a waiting period. I heard a wonderful teaching on the radio this morning on "entering His rest". So, while I was in the shower I told God that I gave Him all my worries and concerns, and by faith I enter Your rest..went up in my bedroom and there was the gift card. It was like the Lord was saying to me "I love you and everything will be alright".

[Susie Larson]

Wow, Kathy,

Your story choked me up.

I'm so glad you won the gift card.

God bless you, dear!