“Restricted, this horse was.

How mean and offhand was the Master to take the innocent stallion from his freedom and put guard rails around him.

He was enjoying his life, and then … Nothing.

Perhaps not, though.

The Master kneels beside the horse, gently stroking its face, letting him know ‘it’s gonna be okay.’

I want to believe it was for the benefit of the horse, but still, I look at him, and see an unfair situation.

The Master steps in, explaining his perspective:

‘If I release him out in the wild once more, he will certainly die of starvation.

Because though that may be all he has known up to this point, that is not where he was meant to be.

I am taking him some place better.

Patience builds trust.’

All of a sudden those guard rails and what I saw as ‘restrictions,’ are now seen for what they really are –

The Master’s way of protection.

Patience builds trust.”

I am sure reading the above piece, you can relate.

If you’re anything like me, you feel restricted, tired of “waiting,” and beginning to wonder if God still cares. At the onset of this year the Lord spoke some pretty exciting things to me, after I had just come out of a really hard season of loss and pain because of some sacrifices I knew I had to make in order to fulfill my calling. He began to speak to me about my purpose like never before. I could just feel the “more” on its way, and as close as the breeze of Spring gently brushing on my face.

There were exciting changes happening that had been long-awaited, but I still had to go to sleep each night with those dreams and prophetic words from God simply in my heart and that was it. I would try to “make a move” and the Lord would gently whisper, “Watch and see what I will do. I’m going to move on this one, Kristen.” Each day I would receive a devotional on “waiting” and being “patient” with God’s timing.

I’ll be honest, after a few weeks this can get old, but for me it had already been 6 months of being in this “transition” season of hiddenness and silence. I was weary with it all, and still have to fight it off every day. But here is where I want to encourage someone right now who feels the same. You have been given a vision for your life, a God-sized dream, but don’t see anything happening yet. You are not only over the hiddenness of faithfully serving and being ignored and last-picked, but you are over quarantine and isolation and feeling alone X 10!

It’s on the way, friend.

Whatever it is, I want to let you in on a little secret with how God works. He chooses to develop our negatives in seasons of hiddenness. God wants to build the character and substance within you through seasons of anonymity and obscurity that you need in order to sustain you when you see your God dream fulfilled! Ultimately, God doesn’t want you to forget Him. David came to this realization at the end of his life when he wrote in Psalms 73: 25-26

“Whom have I in heaven but You?

And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You.

My flesh and my heart fail;

But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”

The Israelites did not fancy with this way of God. They wanted the promised land and they wanted it NOW. But God said, “I am going to allow you to walk in a wilderness season for a time in order that you would know that man shall not live on bread alone, but by every word that comes from God” (Deut. 8:3).

It has taken me a while to understand that perhaps the heart of God in all of this (meaning quarantine, hiddenness, the waiting, etc.) is to simply remind us that He alone is our source of joy and purpose and hope. I don’t have to have the big, successful ministry with a million followers and the mic in order for God to love me more (heak, Jesus had just 12 followers!). He already loves me enough that He would die for me when I wanted absolutely nothing to do with Him!

Jesus is so amazing, isn’t He!?

All in all, let’s make the most of this time we have with God, and reconnect with our BREAD; our First Love.

The “Feral Horse” was written out of the pain that comes in the waiting, but I am so grateful for this time because it has shown me that as I faithfully serve Jesus, whether seen or unseen, knowing Him is the best pleasure and most satisfying feat I could ever accomplish.

Find something to be grateful for, prepare the best you can for your future, and have peace knowing that the Master ultimately has a plan for you, and the restrictions you face now are only for your protection and to build your trust in Him.

You are complete. You are loved. The BEST is on the way!

Kristen Mary Regina