“While I'm waiting I'm getting stronger My faith is rising, and I will run on While I'm waiting, I'm lifting up on wings as eagles I believe, I will trust in You”
-- Travis Greene, “While I’m Waiting Song Lyrics
Many are feeling that their lives have somehow slid into neutral, where they are in a holding pattern and can’t really move forward and are fighting to keep from sliding backwards. It seems as if the Lord has allowed the world to be put on pause. But how are we using this pause from the busyness that for many of us had become our normal? For many of us, myself included, we had become so accustomed to running from one thing to the next that to now have the extra time that we used to beg for seems foreign and unreal.
I have a friend who used to say she needed a 25th hour in each day and an 8th day in the week to get everything done that was on her plate. I totally understood her heart cry and my typical compassionate response was “Nope, you’re going to have make better use of the hours and days that you do have.” During this time of sheltering-in as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, how are we making use of the hours that we have been given? Are we bemoaning our state and longing for the busyness of our lives before this crisis? Are we using this time to catch-up on sleep or to binge watch our favorite TV shows or movies? Are we online shopping or window-shopping because we can’t go to the mall? Are we surfing social media because we can’t spend time with friends?
Or have we sought the Lord for what He would have us do during this time? Is this your moment to learn a new skill or to sharpen an old one that you’ve neglected because you didn’t have the time? Should you be focused on creating a plan for your new business or ministry you would like to start? Is this your time to rekindle your relationship with your spouse and/or your children? Or is this a time to allow the Lord to re-awaken your creativity so you can write that book, song or play that you’ve been dreaming of? Or is it time to paint that picture or create that sculpture that you keep imagining?
We don’t want to allow the thief, our adversary—the devil, to rob us of the godly purpose and fruitfulness of this time. No, God didn’t cause the pandemic, but He can’t certainly make use of even it—to equip, prepare and make ready a people for what He is about to do next.
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. –Romans 8:28 NIV
There will be life after the pandemic. Yes, our world has inexorably changed, and we will never be the same. But we are not defeated nor are we cast down. We mourn the losses of loved one due to this disease and acknowledge the economic shifts it has brought upon not only our nation, but our world. But even in all of this we can still be confident that God has not forgotten us, and we are not alone. He is yet moving and yet has a plan for our lives.
Our focus has to be on seeking Him for His plan individually as well as collectively and making sure we are aligning with it. So, when the wait is over, we are spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and psychologically prepared to be accelerated and thrust forward into what He has next. Use this time wisely for it is your preparation time for what God has next.
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