While We Wait
We Cannot Confuse the Appointing with the Anointing!
By: Jenni Clayville
In 2011, my family and I moved from Portland to be the Worship Pastor at a church plant in El Paso, Texas.
We knew this wouldn’t be permanent, but we soon came to love it there.
And We found amazing friends and community. Furthermore, We had grown comfortable.
However, I could feel God had something new brewing for us.
While We Wait
Being in the unknown is uncomfortable for me. I’m a “planner.”
If you look at my calendar, you’ll see things scheduled a year, maybe two, out. I wish I was joking.
I felt stuck at the fork in the road not knowing what was next.
The ever-popular verse, Jeremiah 29:11, says, “For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
We often miss the context around this verse.
This whole passage talks about Israel being in exile for 70 years.
Seventy! Only after those 70 years are completed would God’s promise be fulfilled to bring them back from exile.
Then, there was a young shepherd boy, David, mentioned in 1 Samuel 16, who was anointed to become king of Israel.
It took 20 years and 20 chapters (2 Samuel 5) until David was actually appointed king of Israel.
In those 20 years, David served at the pleasure of an insecure and tyrannical king,
faced assassination, ran and hid as a fugitive, was homeless and isolated, and was absolutely crushed.
But in the waiting, God developed him to become the greatest King of Israel.
We cannot confuse the appointing with the anointing.
All of us are anointed.
We’re all purposed with a calling,
but for some of us, embracing today means we wait, train, listen, are crushed, become resilient, and get ready.
Plans are important but so is prayer, listening, and waiting.
We need to choose to embrace today, not tomorrow.
There’s no way to be ready for today if we haven’t lived and waited through yesterday.
What are you waiting on right now?
How can you embrace today?
While We Wait
Jeremiah 29:4-14 KJV
[4] Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, unto all that are carried away captives, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem unto Babylon;
[5] Build ye houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them;
[6] take ye wives, and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; that ye may be increased there, and not diminished.
[7] And seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the LORD for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace.
[8] For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Let not your prophets and your diviners, that be in the midst of you, deceive you, neither hearken to your dreams which ye cause to be dreamed.
[9] For they prophesy falsely unto you in my name: I have not sent them, saith the LORD.
[10] For thus saith the LORD, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place.
[11] For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
[12] Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.
[13] And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.
[14] And I will be found of you, saith the LORD:
and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith the LORD;
and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive.
While We Wait
