For nine months my husband and I have been in a season of waiting. This season has been an emotional roller coaster of rejection and rejoicing. I sense that many of you reading this can relate. We all have experienced seasons of waiting and feeling like prayer is our lifeline to God in those moments.
Last summer, very unexpectedly, my husband lost his job. We had a toddler and a newborn at home and were not anticipating this loss of income and security. It was a blow to say the least.
For months, I watched my husband hit the ground running. He networked in his field, talked with recruiters and soaked in advice from mentors and friends. He had dozens of promising interviews, and even second interviews, but none resulting in employment. It truly felt like we were on a roller coaster; receiving good news one minute and the next filtering through the rejection of hearing, “You aren’t the right fit for this role,” or “They decided to go with someone else.”
Even though I wasn’t the recipient of these comments, I too felt like I was carrying the weight of the words my husband was receiving. All of this was hard to hear. Yet looking back I think this is one of the beauties within marriage. God allows you to bear each other’s burdens and emparts empathy to fuel your prayers.
A garden is cultivated with time and requires tending the soil before new growth can transpire. In summary, the soil and its surroundings must be in the right condition to yield a harvest. Our lives require the same groundwork and preparation.
One morning while pouring coffee, I looked out our window and saw green sprouts poking through our once stagnant and dingy flower beds. I had flashbacks to recent weekends of yard work. After experiencing one of the hardest freezes in Texas, my husband and I spent hours pulling out the dead foliage. It was tedious labor but we knew the results would yield a promising harvest. I quickly realized in that moment that the Holy Spirit was revealing to me the cultivation process.
I think you can picture where this illustration is taking us. A garden is cultivated with time and requires tending the soil before new growth can transpire. In summary, the soil and its surroundings must be in the right condition to yield a harvest. Our lives require the same groundwork and preparation. This occurs in the daily and unseen moments where we choose to do the work that leads to a harvest.
Matthew 6:6 (MSG)
- “Here’s what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won’t be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace.”
If there is one big takeaway that the Holy Spirit has taught my heart in this season, it’s that prayer shouldn’t be for emergencies only. If we allow it, prayer can be and will be the powersource (fuel) for our everyday life. As Corrie ten Boom famously asked, “Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tire?”
If we allow it, prayer can be and will be the powersource (fuel) for our everyday life.
So, how do we cultivate a lifestyle of prayer and allow it to be our steering wheel? I can’t say that I have the perfect formula but these three steps have helped me intentionally structure my day to meet with Jesus. It also breathed new life and hope within my marriage. I truly believe that when we bring our needs and desires to Jesus, we plant seeds that can bear fruit for years to come!
- Seek Jesus First. As a new mom, early morning wake-ups have become my daily routine. When I give Jesus the first thirty minutes of my day, my heart is refreshed, my soul is revived and my perspective shifts. It has reminded me in this waiting season that God can be trusted and He is faithful!
- Rid Yourself of Distractions. For me this means leaving my phone in another room and finding a quiet spot in our house free from the noise and laundry piles that compete for my time and attention.
- Be intentional: I love utilizing the notes section and timer on my phone. My notes app has become my prayer journal on days when I’m away from home and when my husband asks me to pray for a specific need involving his job search. And with the constant hustle and bustle of toddlerhood, I set my phone alarm to pray for my husband on days when he has an interview or is networking with a colleague.
Again, there is no perfect formula, only a heart of surrender. As my friend Marian has said, “God answers prayer, but sometimes His answers arrive in packages we don’t expect. Our hope is in Him, not in a particular outcome. He is good. The key to faith is trusting His heart, even when we don’t understand His hand.”
Ten Boom, Corrie. 1979. Clippings from My Notebook. Waterville, ME: Thorndike Press.
Ellis, Marian Jordan. “7 Powerful Truths I’ve Learned about Prayer.” This Redeemed Life, 7 July 2023, thisredeemedlife.org/7-powerful-truths-ive-learned-about-prayer/.
Author Info
Rebecca Falkner
A Carolina girl living in the great state of Texas, Rebecca has worked in ministry for the last thirteen years. Rebecca graduated from Winthrop University with a B.S. in Elementary Education. She worked as a kindergarten and special education teacher before moving to Houston to work with This Redeemed Life and Second Baptist Church. When Rebecca isn’t chasing her two toddlers, she loves writing, gardening and trying new recipes with her husband.