| The encouragement in this post has been expanded upon in the podcast episode which can be found below. Will you join me at Asking Is Loving? I’ve known my friend, Susan Newkirk, for about twenty years. We started off being friends through our young adult group at a church we both attended. At that time, the two of us along with three other women decided to form a group that would seek to trust God as we waited for Him to act in our lives for things we were praying over. Susan and I have moved together past those young adult years and on to the season of being women who seek to age gracefully. I’m so pleased to say that Susan and I can look back and know that we have waited and prayed through many seasons together. Those seasons include years of longing for husbands and children, healing of friends and family with cancer, release from painful jobs and relationships, and much more. Many of the situations we’ve held out to the Lord and prayed over have been answered in God’s perfect timing and in ways that we couldn’t have planned or imagined better ourselves. Many of them have not been answered as we had hoped. That includes cancer and the untimely death of our dear friend and member of our group, Sherry. Some prayers have even been offered up for twenty years and are still being waited on. Susan is a woman who understands what it means to wait gracefully. As I grow in Christ, I long more and more to wait gracefully, to wait well. How are you waiting? I’m so happy to report that my sweet South African missionary friend is home on furlough and I have been blessed to spend time with her. She recently shared an article with me that she wrote on waiting and I thought it would be perfect to share it here with you. Enjoy! Waiting… Whenever I’m in a queue (line) in Africa, I like to watch other people. I know this may be an overgeneralization, but I am amazed at how well Africans wait. If someone is complaining that it’s taking too long, in my experience it’s not usually an African. This is partly due to a different view of time and an acceptance that we’re not in control, so why fight it? This past year was a year of waiting for me. Waiting for my South Africa visa to be renewed. Waiting to hear if my mother’s chemo treatment had reduced her cancer cell number. And waiting for an answer from the Lord. I’m on Home Ministry Assignment (HMA) right now, and for me that is always a time for evaluating the way forward. Does the Lord want me to continue serving in South Africa? Entering my fourth and last month of HMA, I am no closer to an answer. As I wait, I look to God’s Word to help me. Examples of people waiting on the LORD abound in the Bible, both good and bad. When I cry out to God for help and don’t get an immediate answer, I hope I’ll be more like David, who waited 15 years for to be king rather than kill Saul when he had the opportunity. But I confess I am often tempted to be more like Sarah, taking matters into my own hands instead of waiting for God’s answer. I find hope in the Psalms. Psalm 27:13-14 reminds me that as I wait, I can hope in the LORD, because He never changes: “I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.” Even as David was on the run from Saul, his life constantly threatened and unable to be with his family, he remembered the LORD’s character: His goodness and faithfulness to fulfill all His promises. I don’t know if I will lose my mom or dad in 2023, and I don’t know if South Africa will renew my visa. I don’t know if issues I face in ministry and relationships will be resolved or not. But I do know that the Lord is still on His throne, He is still good, and He still loves me. As we embark on 2023, what are you waiting for? A grandbaby to be born? One of your children to turn from sin and follow Jesus? Your visa to be granted or renewed? An illness to be cured? For the Lord to show you what to do? May your strength be renewed as you wait on Him! |
Susan Newkirk is a missionary in Cape Town, South Africa, where she works with women and children in a church plant. She is from St. Louis, MO, and enjoys jogging, traveling and watching Alfred Hitchcock movies. If you would like to learn more about her ministry, you can reach her via e-mail: susan.newkirk@gmail.com or check out Mission To the World’s website.
If you like my blog, I think you’ll love my podcast! Each episode is between 15-30 minutes and has extra encouragement and commentary in addition to what’s in my blog posts. I try to blog every other week and create a podcast version of the post on alternate weeks. Click below to listen to a recent podcast:
Are you signed up for my monthly e-mail, “Encouragements to Turn Toward Grace”? When you sign up, you will receive a free digital booklet I created called: Asking is Loving, Powerful Questions to Ask Yourself & Your Loved Ones. It’s full of great questions divided into chapters focused on questions for yourself, your spouse, your children, and your friends. You’ll also receive a free scripture printable of Proverbs 4: 23 and a free printable of the Ten Daily Biblical Truths that I use regularly.
Linking up with these awesome bloggers this week!
A good word in due season! Beautifully written Susan
Thanks for visiting, Suzanne!
Well done, Susan! You and Amy are beautiful women. I am proud to know you and grateful to see what God is doing in your hearts and through your ministries.
Thanks Laura 💕💕💕
It is fun to see what God has done over the years. I’m so thankful we met all those years ago. So—I need to know what God is doing in YOUR life! Will try to connect through Facebook!
We are all waiting for or on something. The question truly becomes: How will I wait? Such a wonderful contrast between Sarah and David. May I be more like David who trusted and rested in our God, who is always faithful, always at work, and always working for our good. Blessings!
Thanks for commenting! Your comment makes me think deeper on this. When I consider why I don’t wait well and glorify God, my answer is simply selfishness and lack of patience. May we all cooperate more and more with the Lord’s work in our lives. 💕
Sometmes it is hard to wait, but I’m learning more and more that God’s timing is always right. His word is a comfort when waiting, especially in the Psalms. Blessings to you, Amy! Thanks for sharing Susan’s thoughts. I’m your neighbor at #InspireMeMonday.
Hi Gayl-I too draw comfort from the Psalms when waiting. I think of Psalm 131:2-But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me. Thanks for visiting!