Delayed. Imagine you are at the airport watching the blinking lights of the departures and arrivals board. It changes swiftly as you scan the screen for your flight and then all of a sudden you see it: delayed. At that moment, your stomach sinks, and your face becomes downcast and is sullen. In one moment, your entire travel itinerary is in jeopardy. Often our lives can feel delayed. We expect one thing and we receive another. How do we get past this hopeless feeling?

There’s encouragement to be found in our theme passage:

“The early signs of my purposes and plans are bursting forth.
The budding vines of new life are now blooming everywhere.
The fragrance of their flowers whispers, ‘there is change in the air.’”
— Song of Songs 2:13b-c

With God’s plans come beauty.

The wisdom of Proverbs teaches us that delayed plans are often God’s grace in action, because only He knows the outcome.

“Within your heart you can make plans for your future,
but the Lord chooses the steps you take to get there.”
— Proverbs 16:9 TPT

Unplanned delays and layovers are purposeful. There is meaning and reason for each and every pitstop along the way. Only God knows the reason, but we have the ultimate choice to trust that He knows best. Since we live in a world of instant gratification, waiting can be excruciating, but if we want His best, then we must trust in His timing, and cling tightly to the exact words He speaks.

“Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that the herald may run with it. For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay.”
— Habakkuk 2:2-3 NIV

Cling to His promises.

I remember distinctly the moment when my life felt most delayed. In obedience, I had followed a path God paved for me, but that path ended at a fork in the road. I cried out to God, “What’s next?” I was so confused, so afraid, and so disheartened. He heard my cry and answered, but instead of giving me details, He grounded me with this simple promise.

“Give God the right to direct your life, and as you trust Him along the way you’ll find He pulled it off perfectly!
He will appear as your righteousness, as sure as the dawning of a new day.
He will manifest as your justice as sure and strong as the noonday sun.
Quiet your heart in His presence and pray; keep hope alive as you long for God to come through for you.”
— Psalm 37:5-7 TPT

Allow His words to ground and encourage you.

I feel a change in the air in my own life. There is a stirring of new life, a long-awaited promise. But since my flight has been delayed for several years, my first instinct is to stay at the gate instead of boarding my flight, because what lies at the gate is predictable, comfortable, and known. I feel safe and life feels certain. But where in Scripture does Jesus instruct us to play it safe?

Are you ready to receive your promise?

I went on this journey with Him recently. I was wrestling with a pretty big decision and I was scared. His response? “Where in my Word does it say to play it safe?” Such conviction struck me in that moment. He was right, of course! His Word instructs us to live boldly and dangerously for the kingdom. I had no choice but to say ‘yes’ and walk forward in obedience, even though the details didn’t add up in my mind. My yes wasn’t logical by the world’s standards, but my response was obedience.

“For God did not give us a spirit of timidity,
but a spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline.”
— 2 Timothy 1:7 NIV

So sister, it is your turn. Do you feel the early signs of Gods’ purposes and plans stirring in your life? Is He allowing a promise long planted to spring up? Examine yourself. What is holding you back- is it fear, laziness, complacency, or even comfort? Let God search you and reveal what is limiting your kingdom potential.

Lift your weary chin and watch the flickering lights of the departures and arrivals board finally flash departing on time.

Your plane has arrived. It is time to board.

- Kierstin Almstrum, Soul Care + Connections Lead