God’s Still Working in the Waiting
by Amber Ginter
TONIGHT'S SCRIPTURE
“The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still." - Exodus 14:14, NIV
SOMETHING TO PONDER
It was the fifteenth rejection I'd received. A year after resigning from teaching to pursue writing full-time, I thought for sure God had lined up a slam dunk: A traditional book contract for yours truly. And yet, that hasn't been quite the path.
Over the last 8 months, my book proposal has been sent to over 17 traditional publishing houses. I've been rejected for the size of my platform, not having a degree in mental health, or writing a book for Gen Z. It's been discouraging, to say the least.
But after 4 months, I thought I'd found the one. This publisher asked for extra sample chapters, and I'd put in the work. When it went to the final publishing board meeting, however, the one where contract offers are made, it was shot down. I was devastated.
Sitting on the couch, tears fell down my cheeks. I wanted to run away, hide, and throw in the towel. Yet, something within whispered these words in Exodus 14:14. Be still and know. Be still and know what? I asked God. Did you bring me to this place just to fail? To not make it as an author?
But the more I asked God these questions, the more He whispered to me to meditate on this verse. And so, I did. I sat in the silence with one hand open to receive and the other lying down to let go. I let go of my expectations. My timeline. My plan of events. I had to trust that His way was better.
Cracking open my Bible and Bible commentary, I learned that to "be still" means to cease from striving. It's the same word used in Ecclesiastes 2:22, "What do people get for all the toil and anxious striving with which they labor under the sun?" I also learned that "cease" can mean to sink down, drop, relax, withdraw, refrain, forsake, let go, be quiet, or show oneself slack. It's not giving up, but rather quite the opposite.
"To be still and know," means that we recognize two things:
1. We do what we can, but leave the rest in God's hands.
2. God is God, and I am not.
That evening, I sensed the Lord telling me, "Amber, you can cease from striving and working yourself to death. You can relax, let go, and show yourself slack. I see you. I know the plans I have for you. I have a better way. I've got this. You can trust me. God alone. You can rest." I sense the same for many of you.
If you're in a season of waiting, I want to encourage you that God's timing is best. He's in control even when it feels like He isn't, and He cares about what you're going through. We won't always receive immediate answers to life's hardest questions, but we can trust the one who holds them.
The day after I wrote this prayer, I received an offer from an even bigger publishing house. We hadn't haven't from them since November, but they are taking my proposal to a final publishing board meeting. I don't know when it is or what will happen, but I have to trust the one who holds my tomorrows. Because He is God and I am not. And He always knows best.
YOUR NIGHTLY PRAYER
Dear Jesus,
We know that you are working in the waiting and that our waiting is never wasted. And yet, Lord, these times can test our faith. No matter what we are facing today, Lord, please remind us that you see us and are in control. You have good plans for us and will see those plans through to completion. You care about us and want us to rest in you. Help us cease from our striving, confident that we do what we can, but you will do the rest.
Amen.
THREE THINGS TO MEDITATE UPON
1. Read Exodus 14. Journal about the journey Israel had with the Lord and how they learned to trust God in seasons of waiting.
2. What areas of your life do you struggle to trust the Lord? Why? Talk to God and a trusted friend about these concerns.
3. Using a Bible Commentary and Word Study app, study Exodus 14:14.
Photo credit: Image created using DALL.E 2024 AI technology
Now that you've prayed, are you in need of someone to pray for YOU? Click the button below!
Originally published Monday, 30 June 2025.
SHARE
