Episode Summary:
Your past doesn’t define you. Your present doesn’t define you. But who you choose to trust does define your future. We all experience a “meanwhile” in life. Those interminable and challenging moments when God is strategically laboring behind the scenes, yet we find ourselves questioning. Waiting on God to rescue, to answer our prayers, to work in the lives of our loved ones. But God never asks us to do anything that won’t benefit us. Today we’re going to be talking about how to embrace the benefits of waiting upon the Lord.
Be sure to read to the end for a book giveaway!
(If there are affiliate links in this post, meaning, if you click through and make a purchase, I may receive a commission (at no extra cost to you)).
Watch on YouTube:
Quotables from the Episode:
- A “meanwhile” in our lives is that time period between the onset of crisis and the time when we can see God’s visible intervention.
- We are strengthened and our faith is refined in the waiting rooms of life.
- You get to decide how you will wait in the waiting rooms of life—will you wait on God and his answers, or will you seek things and places that never satisfy?
- “If it’s not good, God isn’t done.” Elizabeth Elliott
- Nobody wants to go through painful times in life, but our pain is a platform God can use to reach others.
- The Bible is not so much for inspiration as it is for transformation.
Scripture References:
- Isaiah 40:31 NIV “but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”
- Lamentations 3:25 “The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, To the person who seeks Him.”
Recommended Resources: (If there are affiliate links in this post, meaning, if you click through and make a purchase, I may receive a commission (at no extra cost to you)).
- Meanwhile: Meeting God in the Wait by Carol McLeod
- Vibrant: Developing a Deep and Abiding Joy for All Seasons by Carol McLeod
- The Hem of His Garment: Reaching Out To God When Pain Overwhelms
- Today is Going to be a Good Day: 90 Promises from God to Start Your Day Off Right by Dr. Michelle Bengtson
- YouVersion Devotional, Today is Going to be a Good Day version 1
- YouVersion Devotional, Today is Going to be a Good Day version 2
- Revive & Thrive Women’s Online Conference
- Revive & Thrive Summit 2
- Trusting God through Cancer Summit 1
- Trusting God through Cancer Summit 2
- Breaking Anxiety’s Grip: How to Reclaim the Peace God Promises by Dr. Michelle Bengtson
- Breaking Anxiety’s Grip Free Study Guide
- Hope Prevails: Insights from a Doctor’s Personal Journey Through Depression by Dr. Michelle Bengtson, winner of the Christian Literary Award Reader’s Choice Award
- Hope Prevails Bible Study by Dr. Michelle Bengtson, winner of the Christian Literary Award Reader’s Choice Award
Social Media Links for Host and Guest:
Connect with Carol McLeod:
Website / Facebook / Instagram / YouVersion: Significant Women Podcast
For more hope, stay connected with Dr. Bengtson at:
Order book Today is Going to be a Good Day / Order Book Breaking Anxiety’s Grip / Order Book Hope Prevails / Order Book Hope Prevails Bible Study / Website / Blog / Facebook / Twitter (@DrMBengtson) / LinkedIn / Instagram / Pinterest / YouTube
About Carol McLeod
Carol McLeod is a best-selling author and speaker who encourages and empowers women with passionate and practical biblical messages mixed with her own special brand of hope and humor. Her commitment to reach women “by any means available” has resulted in a thriving social media presence, 2 top podcasts, an inspiring television program, and even her own mobile app. Carol’s 15th book, Meanwhile: Meeting God in the Wait, examines the life of Joseph of the Old Testament and what it means to truly wait well. Her best-selling book, Rooms of a Mother’s Heart, won the 2022 Director’s Choice Award from the Blue Ridge Writers Conference. In 2021, Carol was honored to receive Oral Roberts University’s prestigious “Alumna of the Year” award for distinguished service to God.
Book Giveaway
In conjunction with this post and the podcast interview, Carol is giving away a free copy of her book, Meanwhile: Meeting God in the Wait.
Leave a comment below sharing with us one thing you learned about strengthening your faith in the waiting rooms of life and you will be entered into the contest for your chance to win a copy of her book.
You could also share this blog post on Facebook, Pinterest, or Twitter then comment here to tell us where you shared it and you’ll also be entered into the drawing.
The winner will be selected at random and announced next Friday, July 7, 2023. Continental United States only.
Hosted By: Dr. Michelle Bengtson
Audio Technical Support: Bryce Bengtson
My husband and I are waiting on the Lord to show us and help us make one of those major decisions in life. I find myself a little impatient and ready to get on with it but I know He has a purpose in the waiting and not just what He might do through the decision itself.
Donna, you are a wise woman. I can appreciate the struggle with impatience, but we know his purpose in the wait is greater than we can imagine. His timing is perfect. Keep your eyes on him! Hope Prevails, Dr. Michelle
I too love the ellipsis …find myself using it so often! After listening to this message I will see every … as a hope- filled reminder !!!!
God is not finished with my story YET! No matter how impossible it looks, no matter how many years (decades!) I’ve waited, I’m hanging on to His promises that He is doing something good! Thank you!!
Lori, we share the love of the ellipsis… You are so right that God is not finished with your story! And his timing is perfect. Hope Prevails, Dr. Michelle
If it costs you nothing, it’s worth nothing! Endurance is the
price tag of achievement. Listen, “We pray that you’ll have
the strength…not the grim strength of gritting your teeth
but the…strength God gives…that endures the unendurable
and spills over into joy” (Col 1:11 TM)
I have to purposely make my mind focus on the good things in my life to be able to withstand the feelings of helplessness while I wait in what I call GOD’S WAITING ROOM. Sometimes, I have to pray “Keep me Lord, when I don’t even want to be kept!”
“Hope in God,” is a phrase I use as a constant reminder to myself as I wait and the word of God is the greatest encouragement I know. Even a study on the book of Job can bring hope when we see the restoration at the end.
Donna, you are so right about maintaining our “hope in God” when we are in “God’s waiting room.” It can be a challenge for sure. Aren’t you glad he gives us biblical examples to encourage our heart in the waiting? Thanks so much for taking the time to comment. Hope Prevails, Dr. Michelle
I have been in the waiting room but God is using it to renew me from the inside. I had a life of abuse, depression, financial issues, but God has literally changed both me and my life. I thought the waiting was all my life would be, and I made peace with it. But He brought me through into more than I ever dreamed possible.
Sandy, thank you for sharing this amazing testimony. I really believe God doesn’t waste our pain, but that doesn’t mean that the waiting is easy. I’m so glad to hear that God has brought you to the other side. Hope Prevails, Dr. Michelle
Great episode ladies. I’v been in a ” meanwhile” wait for about 6 years now. My oldest daughter chose to disengage herself from me and I still have no idea why. I mourned A LOT. Complete with racing head. Then I thought to myself that she was HIS before she was mine. I knew He could see her and is with her. So I gave her back to Him. I surrendered my mourning over to him and accepted his wait for me. I pray for reconciliation, but I don’t know if it’s in his will, so I wait for him, and I’m okay with that as I mature in Him.
Thank you so much for sharing this with Sweet Tea & Friends this month.
Paula,
That’s a painful meanwhile. I’m so sorry. That’s incredibly hard on us Moms. I applaud you for surrendering it to Him. I know that couldn’t have been easy, but so wise. With Hope, Dr. Michelle