Though It Linger. . .

For when you have to wait

Hey friend,

If you’re in a season of waiting, where hope seems deferred and the promise indefinitely delayed, this is from my heart to yours. . .

Some seventeen years ago, as I was hanging out my washing, I surrendered the dream of owning our own home to the Lord. It seemed like everyone around us was buying their first house, but some unwise decisions coupled with the choice to follow God’s call into ministry meant it wasn’t an option for us at the time. I knew for my heart to stay healthy I needed to relinquish this dream for a season, and so, with pegs in hand and a basketful of wet laundry, I whispered to the Lord, “It’s okay, Lord, I’m okay if this means never owning a home.”

It was a moment of true surrender, just between me and Him—I didn’t even tell my husband! My spirit felt lighter, and I was released to step fully into the path He had for me without coveting the path He had called others to walk. But it turns out the Lord wasn’t actually asking me to relinquish the dream, but rather to be willing to wait. Only a few days later, a friend reached out to me. She’d been sitting on something she had sensed the Lord was saying for a few days and couldn’t shake it, so she felt it was time to share it with me. Her message simply said, “The Lord wants you to know that one day, you’re going to have an amazing house.”

The Lord was so good to me, affirming that it was right to surrender the desire of my heart for a season, but reminding me that it wouldn’t be forever.

And yesterday, after 24 years of marriage and against all odds, we went unconditional on our first home (I’m still pinching myself that I get to write those words!). And yes, it is AMAZING. The fulfilment of so many prophetic words that we have received since that day that I stood at my clothesline—right down to the location and the splashback in the kitchen—it is a testimony to the faithfulness of God to keep His word, His ability to do the impossible, and His tender care for the desires of our heart.

But how do we navigate the waiting when days turn into weeks, weeks turn into months, into years, and maybe even decades?

Let me share some lessons I’ve learned along the way in my own seasons of waiting:

1. Keep the Dream-Giver bigger than the dream. When we carry a burning desire in our hearts, it’s all-too-easy to make it our one thing. But God Himself needs to be the greatest desire of our hearts; the One that we spend our lives pursuing. When we do, everything else finds its proper place and time in our story.

2. Be faithful where He has you. It can be tempting to fall into a “one day when” lifestyle, deferring the things God is asking us to do and be until we have all our ducks in a row. But today, right where you are, is the perfect time to go ALL IN and enjoy where God has you. The journey is to be treasured as much as the destination and God has good gifts for you here—don’t miss them by living in the future.

3. Write the vision/dream down—and all the words that come with it. In Habakkuk 2 we read: “Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it. For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay” (vv.2-3 NIV). Over the years, we’ve been given so many prophetic words about property and home ownership, writing these things down has helped us to get a clear vision of what God is wanting to do and provided encouragement on the days where it has felt like it will just never happen. Keep a record of the ways that God speaks to you—whether it be through the Scriptures, dreams, prophetic words etc. Don’t despise these things, but treasure them in your heart and do the things within your power to help see them realised.

4. Remember that God isn’t constrained by the things that we are. When we first got married, the average house price in our city was under $250,000, now, it’s sitting at $1.2 million. With every year that our hope has been deferred, it has seemed like more and more of an impossibility. But God is the Way-maker, and nothing is too hard for Him. This is a truth we’ve clung to to avoid despair. God had told us that if we built His house, He would build ours. So we’ve kept sowing and serving and trusted that He would keep His word to us; He has and He can. So don’t let the systems of the world or circumstances deter you from continuing to believe and be faithful.

5. Celebrate when others get what you are believing for. We’ve tried to be intentional about celebrating and cheering others on as they’ve moved into their own homes. Some times this has felt harder than others, but the act of celebration is an act of trust that God still has enough for us and a reminder that their opportunity or miracle doesn’t rob us of ours. God doesn’t run out or resources, friends, so celebrate for those around you, and trust that in His wisdom, He knows when to answer your prayers.

I’m believing that you will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living, friend (Psalm 27:13), and that as you commit yourself to delight in Him above all else, He would graciously give you the desires of your heart (Psalm 37:4).

Don’t despair if the dream feels delayed, wait with hope, what God has spoken will not prove false.

Let’s be ALL IN together,

Aimée

XO