When Waiting Becomes Rest

I sat with my computer on my lap and Google at my fingertips. Surly this search would come up fruitful and all of my heart troubles would be alleviated by one confirmation from the ever knowledgeable, all knowing search engine. I typed in this phrase into the little box with the eyeglass…

“When God shuts a door, He opens a window.”

After years of seeing this phrase on those cutesy little posters with kittens I was sure this tidbit of wisdom was straight up truth from the Bible. Right? Weren’t there songs in the 90’s on our mixed tapes that assured us that when we sat in front of a closed door, God would absolutely open a window of bigger and better opportunities?

My friend Google kindly dropped the news to me… “when God closes a door, He opens a window” is not, in fact, in the Bible. I’m not sure what concerned me more: that this well known Christian cliché was not in the Word or the fact that I had no good reason for my season of camping out in front of that proverbial closed door.

Three months prior, I sat dreaming and planning, creating my agenda. As I made moves to set these plans into motion, I abruptly received “no’s” or “not right now” or “no way!” The echo of those doors slamming in my face rings in my ears to this day. After a couple of months and a hurt heart, I couldn’t help but recognize the Lord was doing something here. I wasn’t sure what He was up to but I knew this was pivotal moment in my life and in my understanding of who He is. You see, I’m am really good at kicking doors open and making things happen. At the beginning of my closed door season I stood with my super cute cowboy boots, ready to kick the doors open and make my dreams and plans happen. But, when my “feet” grew tired of kicking to no avail, I surrendered.

It was a new season of waiting at that closed door. It was a new season of REST.

The Lord began to show me what this rest season was truly about-and it wasn’t because I didn’t deserve the yes’s. It’s because He had a better YES as I sat right in front of that proverbial closed door. Rather than peeking around to see what was next, I began to see true and steadfast value in the here and now moments. Those deep exhales of rest and release from striving cleared my vision to take in more of God’s presence. Patience. Trust. Dependence. Humility. Gratefulness. Awareness. These were just the start of all that the Lord had for me at that closed door. It was no longer about the doing but about the being with my Father. And it was more rich and fulfilling than what I could image for this season.

I wonder if I’m not alone in this. Have you found yourself in a place of waiting, too? Those places where nothing moves forward and stagnation threatens our faith in God’s goodness and wisdom. Yet, those places are an opportunity. The Lord is inviting you into a time of sitting at His feet to glean more fruit than might come in the doing and moving forward. Maybe that fruit looks like a bigger understanding of God’s goodness. Maybe it looks like a time of sweet conversation with Jesus in the quiet of the rest. Maybe that fruit looks like a peeling back of heart junk that weighs you down from truly operating in your calling. Whatever your time of sitting, resting, waiting looks like, cling to the promises of John 15.

“I am the true vine, and My Father is the keeper of the vineyard. My Father examines every branch in Me and cuts away those who do not bear fruit. He leaves those bearing fruit and carefully prunes them so that they will bear more fruit; already you are clean because you have heard My voice.  Abide in Me, and I will abide in you. A branch cannot bear fruit if it is disconnected from the vine, and neither will you if you are not connected to Me.” John 15:1-4

There is more for us as we set aside our plans and agenda. The more is bigger than whatever we believe is behind the closed door we wanted to bust open. God’s presence alone fills all the voids we create in our heart when we seek out the thrill of what’s next. What He teaches us in the waiting sets us up for the more and better when He graciously opens the door back up. But in the meantime, may we cherish the rest in His goodness as we sit, seek and wait.

Sarah Martin is a wife, mom, author, speaker, wanna be artist and now calls herself a Revelation Wellness instructor. She would love to connect with you on Instagram! @sarahfmartin

It’s time for #workoutwednesday!! Join Rachael, a Revelation Wellness Instructor, for “CHRIST’S HIIT”  (24:38) – HIIT (or High Intensity Interval Training) is a training technique in which you move with your all-out, one hundred percent effort in short, intense bursts of exercise, followed by short, sometimes active, recovery periods. This type of training gets and keeps your heart rate up, maximizing your workout time.

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