Radiant Overflow

Waiting. No one likes it. I do not know a person who has ever wanted to wait. Why? The definition of “waiting” according to Webster’s dictionary is defined as: “to stay in place in expectation, to remain stationary in readiness or expectation.”  Most of us look at the words: stay, remain, and stationary and immediately think of waiting as something negative. The image of sitting and waiting on a bus may come to mind. But as I looked at that definition the words expectation and readiness remind me that there is something the wait is for.

I give God all the glory that just yesterday at FBC Canton I had the joy of hosting  the 2^nd Radiant Worship Night for Girls event. My friends Chris Huff and Grayson Barton (who I know from our years in the student ministry at Kennesaw FBC) and the rest of the band (who are now my new friends) did such an amazing job leading us in worship, and it was a much-needed night for everyone. So much fun! But, as I hung around Chris and Grayson I couldn't  help but have the realization that I had the rare joy and blessing of growing up in the Church…and I LOVED it. My mom use to use NOT being able to go to youth on sunday nights as my punishment growing up.  I was very blessed that all through Middle and High School I was heavily involved in the youth group at my church. It was nothing short of the hand of God that put me there during that season of my life; and it was a very much a catalyst that God used in my life. I was poured into and invested in by some of the most amazing leaders one could imagine. I was blessed to have people who lived out there faith; showing myself and many others that living for Jesus could be done...HIGH SCHOOL and COLLEGE! 

In my almost six years of serving in student ministry (primarily with girls) I have found that this generation does not hear stories really, if at all, on waiting. What I am about to say I do not want to be misinterpreted. The testimony of those who have grown up in church, fallen away and come back, or didn’t grow up in church and knew nothing but the world until came into a relationship with Jesus, and those who played church for years  but never really came to know Christ until much later are powerful stories. We need those stories. For those who have placed their faith in Christ we all have a redemption story. We have all been redeemed from the pit. But, like I mentioned before I had the joy of growing up being apart of an amazing student ministry that God so obviously had his hand upon looking back—I went to a lot of camps and retreats. Also as someone who still has the honor of serving students I have been to a lot of camps and retreats. Heard a lot of speakers and messages. But, there is one thing that I have found many speakers forget after talking to some of our high school girls and moms. There are those rare few that are trying to wait on God. There are those rare few that came to Christ at a young age and really do want to live for Him, but they need those above them to show them how. They need to see it can be done. Guy and Girls. Some speakers when talking to middle or high school students assume that every person out there has been on date, or has been in at least one serious relationship…and that is not always the case.

 Over the last year God has lit a passion in me to share my story of waiting on Him.  Believe me, I don't    like sharing it. The last thing in the world I want to stand up in front of people and talk about is my choice to wait on the Lord for the man he has for me. But, the desire for girls to know there is another way to do relationships is stronger than my desire to keep quite Why? Because I think a lot of people have a misconception of what it means to wait on God. They think waiting on God means you are waiting for some prince charming to fall into your lap. But, what I have come to find is that girls and guys need to be inspired and encouraged that it can be done. In the culture we live in today purity is made fun of. It is mocked; instead of being seen as a treasure, something to be cherished and guarded.  My prayer is that there would be a generation that desires to live for God and can set an example for the upcoming generation of how to live (1 Tim 4:12). 

At Radiant we talked about Hannah (1 Samuel Chapter 1) and how she had to wait on the Lord. But, there was something the wait was for. It was all in timing. God had a HUGE plan for how he was going to use Samuel. Hannah needed to have a son right at the time she did. Not before. God is the one who closed her womb…but He is also the One who opened it! God has the plan. After Hannah got up from praying ,the message version says, she was radiant. Had her circumstances changed? Nope. But, she did walk away with hope.  1 Samuel 1:19 says: “Up before dawn, they worshiped God and returned home to Ramah. Elkanah slept with Hannah his wife, and God began making the necessary arrangements in response to what she had asked.”

God was moving mountains on Hannah's behalf even when she couldn’t see it. There was something the wait was for. My desire is that a generation would not see waiting on God, for anything, as a negative and passive thing. Ps 37 talks of about active waiting. There is nothing passive about waiting on God. I hope that girls are encouraged and inspired to live for the glory of God, and trust that He has the plan.

I started thinking tonight about the definition that Webster gave for waiting-- to stay in place in expectation. To remain stationary in readiness or expectation...Why does it say “stay in place in expectation or remain stationary in readiness?

Maybe because the beauty of waiting is that at some point you will no longer be waiting on whatever it is you are waiting on. At some point the wait will end. We are always going to be waiting on something, but if we are waiting on the Lord, not the thing, at some point a time will come when what we have been waiting on the Lord for expectantly will come. He is faithful. It might now come when we want, or how we want, but it will come. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come 
and will not delay.- Hab 2:3

Samuel had to be born when he was. There was a story God was writing(Ps 139:16, Eph 2:10). I love how the message version says verse 20 of chapter 1 of 1 Samuel: “Before the year was out, Hannah had conceived and given birth to a son. She named him Samuel, explaining, "I asked God for him."

Man, you talk about a year. It started one way and ended another. I loved that she named him “I asked God for him.” If I was Hannah every time I looked at him I would be overwhelmed with the faithfulness, love, grace and mercy of my God. That he heard my cries…my prayers and answered them. What a domino effect took place because of Samuel’s life. As I was sitting at my friends house studying Thursday night they kept teasing me saying: It’s all about the timing, it’s all about the timing. And, the words there is something the wait is for kept echoing in my heart and mind…even after last night. I am so thankful that I had amazing people who spoke into my life hope growing up; like Eli did to Hannah in that moment. I pray there will be more stories of guys and girls who by God’s grace and power alone…waited. I think the other misconception is that because I am waiting I expect the man I marry to have the same story and me…and I DO NOT! How boring! My greatest desire is to find out that around the same time I started praying for him, not even knowing his name yet, that God began making the necessary arrangements in response to what I was praying. HOW COOL! HOW AMAZING!

What a powerful moment to be able to look at that person and say: “I asked God for you.” Basically, you are an answer to years and years of prayers. I hope and pray that students will hear more stories like that. Any story where Christ stepped in is a powerful story. I want this generation to see that it can be done. It is not easy. Following Jesus is defiantly the harder of the two roads, but our pain and waiting is NEVER in vain!