While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit spoke and said, ‘Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’ So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.

Acts 13:2-3

The word I felt the Lord give me for today’s message was linger… Lingering a little longer than you normally would in different situations and waiting on the Lord there… Linger isn’t a word we use very often. Lingering implies waiting in place a little longer than necessary. A little longer than needed. That once everything you needed to do or say has been done and said, you just remain in that place a little bit longer…

Some of my favorite moments with Dianna happen when we linger – some of our best conversations happen after we’ve said all we thought we needed to say… but then we didn’t rush out to do the next thing, or rush to reach for our phones to fill the silence…

Some of the most precious moments with Zoe happen when I linger with her… especially during her bedtime. Of course, she’s excited to get to stay up a little longer than she normally would be allowed to :-) but I get to enjoy some pure, unplanned, unorganized Zoe thoughts and ideas, and it’s awesome!

I have a practice that I do sometimes… I wish I did it more, because I’ve never regretted it: and that is lingering with the Lord. When I’ve read my Bible, or spent a few moments in prayer… after I’ve done or said all I felt like I was supposed to do or say with Him, I’ll just wait there… for a few seconds longer than I normally would… and I don’t always get something special… but sometimes the thoughts or ideas or insights or solutions that come to mind following those lingering moments can be some of the best!

Do you ever linger after church? Or after your small group time? I was speaking with a friend who faithfully attends Celebrate Recovery every week, and he said the conversations always seem to happen in “the meeting after the meeting.” He said, “you know, when we’re all hanging out in the parking lot after the official meeting is over, and we’re just talking about what God was doing in us and speaking to us during the meeting!”

What if some of the most precious insights or brainstorms or ideas or realizations are waiting for you just after your “normal” time alone with God would’ve ended? I know it’s not possible every time – we have chores to do and errands to run and kids to pick up from school – but occasionally, as often as you can make it work, what if you just made it a point every so often to linger with the Lord a little longer than you normally would?

Linger with the Lord one minute longer than you normally would. A little more time with Him will be worth far more than you could ever imagine.