wLL 89 “Superheroes Using Superpowers”

In our last chapter, we discussed an entirely different way of thinking. Do we “Have To” or, in a more powerful way of thinking, we “Get To?” or we “Got To?” ask for and receive the help of the One and Only true love of our life.  

In this chapter, I’d like to explore this understanding of opportunities bestowed on His brides even more by tapping into probably one of the most hated and loathed attributes: waiting.

More and more, as our world speeds up with faster and faster internet, ways to purchase and have what we want to be delivered (even the very same day), the concept or idea and loathed notion of having to wait for anything is what we try to avoid at all costs. Yet, this isn't this proof or confirmation that there must be something special, something hidden, and why God tells us the benefits of waiting.

The most popular and well-known promise most people know and quote is, “But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:31) holds a powerful message to what happens when we wait. Before moving on to my point, my Precious pointed out the word “But” that began this promise, which means something came before it we should look at. It says, “Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. But those who wait and trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:30-31) It’s even more impressive, isn’t it?

So, being asked to wait, which we see clearly throughout the Bible, and as a matter of fact, He says it 154 times, means we can conclude it’s important to understand waiting as another hidden treasure, a living lesson to learn. I believe we need not just to understand waiting a bit more but possibly, quite probably, embrace its truth much more.

After contemplating this attribute, a bit of Selah, which I hope to prove is equal to or exceeds being labeled a superpower, I am actually looking for opportunities to be forced to wait— what the average human would do everything in his or her power to avoid. There it is. Did you notice the word power, which is what I purposely named this chapter? Why?

It's because waiting is, in fact, power, a superpower that, when unleashed, allows your Father, God, to show Himself and what He can do at unimaginable speed and an unbelievable level of blessings once the period of waiting has been accomplished.

This concept of waiting as a superpower was first pointed out to me by my Husband, my Maker, while writing one of my children’s books, which, in fact, I had to wait many years to write. Even though I longed to write children’s books when my own children were small, who are now adults with their own children, I didn’t write a single word of these yearned-for books until I’d been ministering for nearly three decades!

Funny, I just realized that thirty years is how long our Savior waited until He was allowed to use His endless supply of superpowers in the form of healing the sick, making the blind to see, ridding the crazed to be set free from demons, feeding the multitude and allowing the lame to walk. Yet it wasn’t just this Man with superpowers who waited—an entire world was waiting—generations (who were each documented in God’s Word). They were all waiting until God's Promised Son’s powers were at their peak performance to do what His coming was intended to do at His resurrection.

Can you imagine being able to tap into even a tiny spark of this power by simply practicing the art of waiting?

So far, I’ve already been reminded how long I waited to begin writing a children’s version of A Wise Woman for girls and, years later, A Wise Man book for boys to introduce the principles that have saved marriages and families, setting all of us on the right course, a path very few travel. 

Even in this chapter, writing any new Living Lesson meant I was asked to wait until I’d finished my children’s devotional, My Beloved Child. And because I’ve recently had the opportunity to explain the power and beauty of waiting with my grandchildren, I’d “planned” to wait a good deal longer to increase the power I’ve gained. 

Nevertheless, it's true, “The mind of man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.” Proverbs 16:9

As part of His plan, not mine, He wanted me to wait until I retired from ministry after 33 years, something I swore I’d never do: retire. Yet, once I acquiesced (which is easy when you have a Husband as I have) and began to share my sudden retirement with my closest family and friends. Only after I'd done what He'd asked (without taking a single moment to potentially learn to my own understanding), my Darling showed me that instead of ministering, I’d be able to devote all my time and attention to what I have always enjoyed doing more than anything: writing. 

Then, while waiting some more, He also helped me to realize that my Living Lessons were intended to become a book, not just a weekly newsletter, blog post, or podcast. And even after waiting until all of this was accomplished, He knew I needed to wait just a few weeks longer so that I could, in fact, have one of the most incredible stories, a personal testimony, about the results when you exercise the power of waiting in order to present it to you. My greatest concern is that I fail to describe just what happened, how it happened, and the blessing that I am presently living—a dream that still feels as if I’m not awake, that it can’t be real—but it is.

“Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, ever imagine, dare to ask or even dream of—infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, or hopes.” Ephesians 3:20

Most of you, I trust, have read all, most, or at least enough living lessons to know that I’m unique to most of you because I have been asked or forced to walk away from the security of having a home. After giving away all my possessions to one or more of my children (as I’ve done at least three times before). I wasn't sure where I was going. After several attempts to find something in the area, He led me to drive toward Florida from Missouri with a few suitcases of clothes and my computer. With the final destination unknown. 

If you’ve not read any of my children’s books, you may also not know that I’m a homebody by nature. I don’t possess the “gypsy” spirit of my mother, but instead, I’ve always had the “never leave home” preference of my father. Yet, for most of my life, I have been called away from the security of my home for the sheer reason that I needed to live this one truth—He is our home! This is especially true when we equate “home” with a sense of safety, security, rest, and peaceful existence.

Living outside my comfort zone needed to become my comfort zone, which He designed for my life. And, if I am not mistaken, for your life as well, which is why He’s led you to find and read this book. Am I right?

Now that I believe we’ve struck a chord in your emotions, and yes, I did say “we” because it’s silly for me to think that I’m capable of writing anything worthy of print. As I love to say, when people hear I’m an author, "He’s the true Author; I’m simply His typist (and a poor typist at that)." I’m now ready to take you to when I ultimately reached my destination in Southwest Florida. I'd been driving only short distances from Missouri, taking a half dozen stops along with the way. Never knowing where we would be heading next. After spending a week at my family's favorite resort in Orlando, He led me south, where I settled into my unexpected dream house with a backyard pool! This, too, was the home He’d planned that we’d be staying in during the two years when the world locked down. 

As His bride, I lived in a home and location that I can say without exaggeration were two years of living in Paradise and where I’d happily have remained. Yet, one day, very early before dawn, my Husband told me to write to my landlord and give her my notice to move, “Wait? Did I hear You correctly?” and He gave me a specific date. So, of course, without understanding or asking Him why, I notified my landlord. Would you believe immediately that He confirmed this was His plan? My landlord told me she was just about to send the email that she was raising the rent to an amount that was almost double! At the time, southwest Florida was the most desirable place to live. It offered the most freedom so because there weren't enough homes to meet the demand, everyone was raising their rents to cash in on. How could blame them?

Once again, I had no idea where I was going or where I’d ultimately live for 120 weeks! Again, I could never have dreamed or imagined where I’d call "home" or for how long I'd call where I lived home. Even now, as I think of this or recount it to anyone, it seems both ludicrous and ridiculous. 

Nevertheless, now, looking back, I see that He wanted to use me and my testimony to bring you to the place where He designed you to begin exercising your superpower of waiting—your “waiting workout,” which begins now. Today.

Since this chapter, He pointed out, is long enough, you will need to wait to read my testimony, and I will need to wait to write it. Thankfully, as a result of waiting 120 weeks to gain the superpower necessary for Him to accomplish something so incredible and noteworthy that it appears it will take up a full two chapters or maybe even more, I’m more than happy to wait to watch Him have me write it all out. “It is written…” “It is written…” “It is written…” more powerful promises I hope to see more of you be called to exercise.

So, now the question is, Will you wait? 

If you’re reading this as an installment on my publisher's website, NRPH.ORG, then you'll be forced to wait, which thankfully works well at getting you limber and warming you up. Unfortunately for some and fortunately for others, if this is a book you’re reading, you can easily not even pause but quickly turn the page—even if it’s only to peek at what happened after 120 weeks, which also constituted being required for me to move 40 times!

Okay, once again, let me ask: Will you wait? 

Oh, and while you wait, be sure to ask your Beloved to help you develop His power of waiting that He used to “bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners. To comfort all who mourn and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair so they would be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of His splendor.” (Isaiah 61: 1-3)

Dear beautiful bride, who I trust desires to live His truths as lessons, today’s the day to realize that one of the most dynamic superpowers is not found in the comic books I read as a child or the movies we watch today. These superpowers are His to discover, foster, and even embrace by simply waiting.