Leaning On God In The Season You’re In And Waiting For The Next Open Door

Hello friends! This post is a bit more personal than the typical style content, because I’m going to share what has been on my heart lately and what the Lord has been doing in my life. Authentic, real posts like this are my favorite kind of posts – I hope that you are encouraged by this post and it meets you where you’re at. I saw a quote on Pinterest about how the Lord allows trials so that our faith is strengthened, and then He brings people into our lives who need to hear our testimony. Our testimony isn’t simply one moment in our lives, it is the entirety of our life; it’s the true story of how God weaves our life to reflect Him and draw us ever closer to Himself.

Doesn’t the word season instantly transport you to fall or spring, and make you think of pumpkin spice or Easter?! The spiritual meaning of seasons is so much deeper than the leaves changing or the flowers budding – it alludes to the time you’re living in, the season God has placed you in. God’s perspective of our lives is so much bigger than our own, it’s infinately vast. He has a plan for each one of us that is unique to all the others. That’s part of the reason it’s pointless to compare yourself to others: God has a different plan for them, and if we’re too busy trying to follow their lives, we’ll miss what God is teaching us. God has more in store for us than we could ever imagine. He is weaving our story by bringing people into our lives and making events happen that will push us to depend on Him. (Ephesians 3:20)

Surrender your timeline

We’re all in a season, whether that be a season of blooming or of growing. We’re all waiting on something, whether that be a significant other, a spouse, an opportunity, a grade…and we are prone to be impatient. Know that God’s not in a hurry, but we are, which causes us to be stressed, exhausted, disappointed. Surrender your timeline to His. He has made everything beautiful in it’s time, meaning that God has a time for everything. (Ecclesiates 3:11). When the time is right, the Lord will make it happen. (Isaiah 60:22).

“She’s not afraid of the wait anymore for she knows He will open doors beautiful and perfect in their time.” – Morgan Harper Nichols

“She finds peace in knowing God will always lead her exactly where she needs to be.” – Morgan Harper Nichols

Surrender your need to figure it out

We are all aspiring detectives. We all have a natural desire to understand the why behind our circumstances, and God asks each of us to surrender that and simply trust in Him. When we do, we have a sense of peace from trusting that God has it all in the works. One of my favorite Bible verses says that when we are weary and heavy-laden, Jesus calls us to come to Him and give Him our burdens. He promises rest! Jesus takes our burdens, our worries, our fears, and our sins off our shoulders and provides rest and satisfaction that only comes when we abide in Him.

This quote by Elisabeth Elliot is so fitting: “waiting on God requires the willingness to bear uncertainty, to carry within oneself the unanswered question, lifting the heart to God about it whenever it intrudes upon one’s thoughts.” There is a peace that passes all understanding when we put our circumstances and the things we’re holding onto in God’s hands. It comes with a price, and that is that we may not ever know why God removes people from our life or allows trials in our life, yet God has promised that there is a reason for everything, and there is a time for everything.

“There’s excitement in obedience when you find out later what God had in mind.” – unknown

Surrender and let God surprise you

God has our lives mapped out, and He knows the littlest details to the most defining moments of our lives. God sees the whole picture, He knows who will be your future spouse or whether you will be accepted into this program. Even looking back to momentous events in my life that at the time made no sense, now I can see that all along, God has a purpose for them. How could I have known that one closed door led to another open door? The Lord will open doors that need to be opened. If the door to that person or program or opportunity is not opened, then rest in fact that either it isn’t the best thing for you or it is not the right time. God promises that will never hold back anything good from us, so we can trust that He knows best (Psalm 84:11).

In this season of waiting, God is preparing you for what will come, so don’t waste the waiting! There’s a difference between waiting and camping in this season – don’t camp! Use this time to intentionally grow in your faith and relationship with the Lord. The seasons of waiting are chances to experience the fullness of Jesus. Surround yourself with encouraging people who will point you to truth and build you up. By waiting, we walk in peaceful confidence of God’s will and walk in certainty rather than stumbling in confusion. I love this saying, that until God opens another door, praise Him in the hallway! Pray constantly for guidance, peace, and joy. Keep praying for patience, keep striving to love others well, keeping obeying your parents. Rest in Jesus and let Him surprise you, because He has more in store for you than you could ever imagine (Ephesians 3:20)!

“Every experience God gives us, every person He puts in our lives in the perfect preparation for the future that only He can see.” – Corrie Ten Boom

I truly hope that this post was like a deep conversation with a friend, on a coffee date, just encouraging you to have faith in the season you’re living in. God has so much in store for you, if you would only surrender your timeline and your inner detective, and let God surprise you!

Warmly,