Devotionals for the Heart: Why waiting on the Lord is always worth it

When Dreams Come True After a Long Wait
A devotional by Jessica Brodie

“The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.”

—Lamentations 3:25 (ESV)

Have you ever waited for something you prayed for, something you desperately wanted to come to fruition? And when it finally did, it was almost unbelievable, like maybe you were dreaming and this wasn’t actually happening?

That’s how I’m feeling this month as a dream I’ve had since I was a child is finally coming to pass. This week, my debut novel releases, The Memory Garden, book one in a contemporary Christian fiction series set in a fictional town in South Carolina. Excitement is thrumming through my fingers as I write this—can you feel it?

It’s funny, though, because now that this day is here, I realize why the wait took so long. Right now, this particular time in my life and in the world around me, is the absolute perfect time for my book to release. I cannot imagine it releasing at any other phase in my life. Yet even saying this is such a strange feeling.

I know that God’s timing is perfect, but it’s as if, in this situation, I’m experiencing His perfect timing firsthand. I see His love and care for me and for this book, a book God himself laid on my heart to write.

I’ve shared before that one of the first toys I remember as a kid was my mom’s old typewriter. She would let me write all of my imaginary stories on the old machine, and while there was no paper, I remember that feeling of satisfaction as my little girl fingers would mash those keys to my heart’s content. I spent my childhood practicing my craft, everything from scribbling in my diary to writing short stories.

I was 21 and a recent college graduate when I started writing my first (unpublished) novel. And now, finally, here I am—almost three decades later. And it’s time. This feels right. But the waiting was long—do you know what I mean?

Heartbreakingly long. Often I wondered if it would ever happen to me, if my dreams would ever come true. While I’ve been blessed to make my career as a journalist, my passion has always been fiction. And it feels surreal to know this precious thing that has stirred in my heart for so long truly is becoming a reality.

It reminds me of other long waits for dreams come true—a period of infertility, then two children. Three years walking alongside my daughter as she battled terrible depression and anxiety, now so much better. During that waiting, it felt like it would last forever. Some days felt agonizing, like an endless storm. Yet over and over, I found myself on my knees in prayer, my wilderness drawing me ever closer to Jesus Christ. Eventually, the clouds lifted.

Waiting can be incredibly hard, especially when you’re waiting for something you are certain is in line with God’s will for your life or the life of someone close to you. But just like metal must be refined in the fire before it is perfected, sometimes we also must go through a difficult period of waiting before we are refined enough to enter that next phase in our life. And when that time comes, we see so clearly why the wait was needed.

In his book A Shelter in the Time of Storm, Paul David Tripp wrote, “Remember, waiting isn’t just about what you are hoping for at the end of the wait, but also about what you will become as you wait.”

Sometimes we wait because God is preparing us for what is to come. Sometimes it’s because something isn’t God’s plan for us. Sometimes it’s necessary to draw us closer to Him. The trick is to settle your soul during the waiting, letting that time hone and craft you into the person God needs you to be.

If you’re waiting, remember: God loves you, and you’re waiting for a reason. Even if you don’t understand why, trust in the Lord anyway. His plan is the best, now and always.

Let’s Pray: Heavenly Father, thank You for the waiting, even during the times I struggle against your will and want what I want so badly. Help me to settle under your always loving hand, knowing that your way is the best way. Help me submit to your rule and your plan for my life, now and always. Help me grow to be the person you need me to be so I can shine your light in the world all the better. In your holy and precious name I pray, Amen.

Song of Reflection: “In the Waiting” by Vicki Yohe. Listen to it here.

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Author Bio:

Jessica Brodie is an award-winning journalist, author, blogger, editor, writing coach, and devotional writer with thousands of articles to her name. 

Since 2010, she has served as the editor of the South Carolina United Methodist Advocate, the oldest newspaper in Methodism, which has won 123 journalism awards during her tenure. Her latest book is Preparing Our Hearts: An Advent Devotional to Draw Closer to God at Christmas.

Jessica has won more than 100 writing awards. She is a seasoned speaker and frequent contributor to Christianity.com, BibleStudyTools.com, and Crosswalk.com, among many others. She has a weekly faith blog at JessicaBrodie.com and is part of the team at Wholly Loved Ministries, with her work included in many of their devotionals and Bible studies.

She’s also produced a free eBook, A God-Centered Life: 10 Faith-Based Practices When You’re Feeling Anxious, Grumpy, or Stressed.

Brodie holds a Master of Arts in English, and she graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in communications/print journalism from Florida International University. Born and raised in Miami, Brodie now lives in Lexington, South Carolina, just outside Columbia. She has also lived in Ohio and in the mountains of western North Carolina. She and her husband, Matt Brodie, have a blended family of four teenage children and stepchildren.

Brodie has written several novels and is actively seeking publication through her agent Bob Hostetler of The Steve Laube Agency. Her novel The Memory Garden won the 2018 Genesis contest for Contemporary Fiction from American Christian Fiction Writers, and her novel Tangled Roots won a third place Foundation Award in Contemporary Romance at the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference in 2019. She is finishing the third in the series, Hidden Seeds, now.

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Connect with Jessica:
Website: https://www.jessicabrodie.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorjessicajbrodie/
Twitter: https://x.com/JessicaJBrodie
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/jessicajbrodie
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jessicajbrodie/
Podcast: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/jessica-brodie
Download her free e-book:
https://www.jessicabrodie.com/ebook-god-centered

Thankful Thursdays: Answered prayers after years of waiting on God

It’s Thursday and I’m thankful for answered prayers!

I don’t know where to begin with this blog post to tell my whole story and keep it under 1,000 words. Perhaps I will write a longer blog post sometime in the future but for today, I will keep this short and sweet.

Ya’ll, I have a testimony to share about how God answered my prayers!

My undergraduate degree is in Print Journalism. It’s always been my passion and skill set but after graduating from college and a magazine internship thereafter, it was increasingly difficult for me to land a full-time job with salary in my field of study…until this week!

Now here’s where my testimony gets long but I will try to keep it short, as promised…

After that magazine internship was over (they were not hiring full-time), God led me on a series of detours. First, I felt a strong pull from Him to get trained to become a teacher and help children. It was the same strong pull that I felt to pursue Journalism. So I obeyed and went into training in an alternative certification program that’s similar to Teach for America. However, that journey was an uphill battle and after two years of teaching, the door to having a career in Education closed.

So now that my Plan B (teaching) failed, what was I going to do?

But God had more in store! Only two months after He shut the door to teaching, He opened the door to working for a countywide newspaper! I still remember my first day on assignment. It was like the sun rising! I felt at peace, happy, productive and convinced that I was operating in my calling.

However, after half a decade of working for that newspaper, the company went through budget cuts, which meant that they had to lay off several reporters including me. So then began my search for a new job. At first, I was only looking in Journalism but then I figured that any job that paid the bills would do. So I expanded my career search but to no avail because I only landed short, temporary jobs like seasonal retail for the holidays.

Just when all hope seemed lost, God intervened. He led me to making a new friend, Kristina, who calls herself a “Writerpreneur” and set off a series of events that led me to where I am today!

Keeping it short: Kristina told me to download her FREE book and read it because of its job search related resources. So I did and in that book, there was a list of staffing agencies that represent people who are searching for jobs. The company works as an agent for the job seeker, sending job leads and working as a bridge between the client and the employer.

The agency that I reached out to, found a job placement for me immediately (literally five minutes after they interviewed me and decided to represent me). I accepted the remote job and worked on it for several months until that company decided that they want to promote within so though they replaced me with one of their in-house employees. Needless to say, I was disappointed but I chose to hold on to the fact that God has a plan. And it’s a good plan just like He promises in Jeremiah 29:11.

Let me tell you, when God moves miracles in motion, only He can take the credit because He opens doors that no man can shut.

Such was the case for me just last week (Monday, July 1 to be exact). The staffing agency called me and asked me if I’m interested in short assignment (only four days) working for a media organization that’s located in the city. I said, “Yes.” They said they would alert the employer. Then they called me less than an hour later saying that I got the job for those four days! My Mom keeps pointing out that they didn’t interview me for the job, they just hired me, so that’s a sign that God is orchestrating this behind the scenes.

Today was supposed to be my last day working for this media organization, because that’s what my agency signed me up to do.

But God had other plans! Longer story short, my supervisor called me into an empty office and told me that they want to hire me as a full-time employee! Of course, I accepted!

This whole experience reminds me of what my Grandma used to say, “God may not come when you want Him to, but He’s always on time!”

Trust me, this new job opportunity happened exactly on time! I cannot go into details and still keep this post under 1,000 words.

This is a testimony that was years in the making! I spent three full years without a new day job that provided sufficient and steady pay. My career journey has been filled with highs and lows, hopes and fears. But God knew what He was doing. He gave me the experiences I needed on those detours He sent me on to help me grow and arrive exactly where I need to be today!

I am so grateful that God is faithful!

So that is the abbreviated version of my work related testimony. Maybe one day, I’ll write a book about my journey. But for now, I’m enjoying this moment, appreciating this blessing and encouraging you to wait on the Lord.

Trust, the wait is worth it. So, whatever you’re waiting on God to do in your life, don’t give up or give in. Just trust Him! God’s timing is perfect. I can testify to that fact!

God bless you.

Love,

Alexis A. Goring
Founder of “God is Love” blog

P.S._ Listen to this song that’s encouraged me in my journey. It’s about taking everything – your worries, sorrows, joys and requests – to God in prayer! 

Thankful Thursdays: Perfect Timing

It’s Thursday and I’m thankful for God’s perfect timing!

There are many ways that God’s timing is perfect.

Today, I want to talk about situations where God prompts you to do something for someone and that someone says that your timing was perfect because you sent exactly what he or she needed, exactly when they needed it.

Such a situation happened to me earlier this week. While spending “quiet time” with God through prayer and studying The Holy Bible, I read a side note in my True Identity Bible that talked about how God is deep. Here is what the side note said…

He is Deep: The psalmist was in deep despair as his enemies mocked, “Where is your God?” Though in a time of depression, he wisely reminded himself that God isn’t only in the heights; he is also in the depths. “Deep calls to deep…” Perhaps you, like the psalmist, have felt waves of despair sweeping over you, threatening to take you under. Perhaps you feel so down you can’t look up. Learn from the psalmist to remember God and share your feelings with him. When your thoughts take you to deep, dark places, let God take you deep into himself.

Inspired by this message, I typed it into my phone and sent it as a text message to several friends and family who were on my heart. One of my friends wrote a reply to me saying, “Alexis your timing is perfect. Needed this. Thank you! Deep calls to deep.”

As believers in God, both my friend and I know that it wasn’t my timing that was perfect—it was God’s perfect timing!

This is not the first time that God has impressed me to send a message, song, quote or note to someone and they responded saying that the timing of that content was “perfect.” Each time that happens, I thank God for using me to help that person and I remind that person to give glory to God because it was Him who prompted me to send that content in perfect timing.

I’ve also been reminded of the importance of diving into God’s Word (The Holy Bible) on a daily basis because each time I study His Word, He either has a message for me or someone else (or both) and when I share it with the people He’s placed on my heart they often said that the timing was perfect.

I don’t ever want to miss an opportunity to share a message that God’s given me with someone who needs it. I am grateful for God’s perfect timing.

Aren’t you?

Share your stories about situations in your life when God’s timing was perfect. Your testimony will encourage others!

God bless you, dear friends.

Love,

Alexis A. Goring
Founder of “God is Love” blog