“Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act.” Psalms 37:7 NLT

“It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow.” 1 Corinthians 3:7 NLT

I recently “planted a seed.” No, not a literal seed. But I sent out a small thing that I hope will bring back a harvest. That seed is surrounded by prayer. How and when will God answer that prayer and what should I do while I’m waiting?

Another seed: I finally wrote a book! Years ago, God gave me the seed of an idea as I prepared a sermon. It took a while for me to plant that seed in writing and then for the seed to germinate as I developed the ideas. Now, I’ve begun to see sprouts and am learning how to tend the seed for growth. Soon, the plant will be developed and bear fruit. The book will be published before the end of 2024. I am planning for December 1st. If you would like to receive email alerts about the book, click here.

Are you waiting for a harvest, too? What can you do while waiting for an answer? If you have planted a seed of prayer or action, there are things you can do while you wait.

Work. Being still before the Lord does not mean you plant yourself in a chair and stay there until the answer comes. It doesn’t mean you stare at the seed until you see a sprout. Being still before the Lord means you quiet the inner need to make something happen. It means you step back, open your hands, and let Him lead the way.

In the meantime, you work.

“I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done.” ‭‭Philippians‬ ‭3:7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

100 percent!!! Did you ever get a 100 on a test? What a good feeling that is! Right?! I remember a time in the fourth grade when I was the only person in our class that got a 100 on a Spanish quiz. And the teacher made sure to tell everyone, too! I remember how special I felt. It was like I had proved that I was worth paying attention to. I felt like I had achieved something. So much more than a test grade. I felt like I had proved that I had a right to exist.

That moment became a motivating factor for my future life. It unconsciously became my goal to always get good grades after that. I don’t think grades really mattered to me until that moment. But why did it become so important? I think that God created me with a desire toward excellence, but that moment felt like I was set apart and valued in a way that I hadn’t been before. I wanted to prove my worth, so I wanted good grades. I wanted to feel valued all the time. Don’t you?

I think we all crave affirmation in some way. We want someone to say, “Good job!” It makes us feel appreciated and like our efforts were worthwhile. But there is a trap in affirmation. We can become addicted to approval and work hard for the purpose of receiving it. We want to feel that we are good enough, approved, valued.

Is that what God wants for you and me? Does He want us to work hard for Him so that we can be valued and approved by Him and others? What really matters?

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October 24, 2026

What To Do in the Dark (Repost)

'I want them to be encouraged and knit together by strong ties of love. I want them to have complete confidence that they understand God’s mysterious plan, which is Christ himself. In him lie hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. ' Colossians 2:2-3

It was a dark time, one of the darkest times I have ever lived through. A loved one was struggling through the shadows of depression and every day was a battle. Just getting out of bed and facing the mundane tasks of daily life took every ounce of my strength. The future was a wall of fog. The present was a slog through mud with a backpack full of rocks. It was all I could do to just get through today.

Maybe that is where you are right now, Dear Friend. I am so sorry that you find yourself in such a difficult time. One thing I heard from a conference speaker that helped me through my darkness and gave me perspective was this: Every trial will come to an end. As those words rang in the arena and resounded in my ears my heart knew that they were true. In the course of a time that seemed to last forever, I eventually experienced that truth in my circumstance. You will experience it in yours. You will.

But while you are in it, can I offer you some perspective? Something I learned from walking through my own fog? Jesus really is enough. He is!