My new upcoming book After Amen: What to do While Waiting on God is a journey through my own questioning of God’s seeming silence in my prayer life.
My heart behind writing this book was that so much has been written and said about what to do BEFORE you say “amen”… You can find books on everything from what, how, and where to pray.
But very little has been written or said about what to do AFTER you say “amen”.
While my book gives you seven things to do while you wait on God, it also touches on a lot of leadership insights.
So many, myself included, have faced God’s silence in their prayer lives while leading congregations.
So, here are 20 leadership quotes from After Amen that I hope and pray will give you some direction and guidance as you wait on the Lord…
- Work while you wait. Waiting on God is not about just sitting on a couch, it’s about filling water jars until Jesus decides to turn them into wine.
- When you can’t see the path, you trust the leader. Don’t just have faith IN Jesus, have the faith OF Jesus. He always trusted his Father.
- Clear direction often has more options than just “yes” or “no”. The Father seems to answer our prayers in one of five ways. Not just with a “yes” or silence (which we often interpret as “no”), but with several other options.
- Sometimes a closed door is a “no” for now – not a “no” forever. In dealing with God and with people, sometimes the “no” is really just a “right idea, but wrong time” answer.
- Some of God’s greatest gifts are unanswered prayers. Yes, I know that’s Garth… But it’s still gold. Rusty quotes it, so I thought I would too.
- Leadership is about aligning with our organizations WHY and our people’s WHY. If those two things align, then momentum begins. Getting a “yes” from God has more to do with asking for things that he wants to say “yes” to.
- The methods used matter less than the mission accomplished. We want our people to have a “whatever it takes” mentality when it comes to our organization’s mission. It doesn’t matter how it’s done or who gets the credit. That’s how God is as well.
- Serving God is not my primary mission, being with Him is. How often do I view myself as an employee of God more than a child of God?
- Our people long for clarity as much as we do. Being clear about the next steps even when you don’t know all the outcomes is what our people crave.
- Do the next right thing. When you are unsure of what to do next, simply do the next right thing.
- Faith is an extension of the knowledge that we have acquired. No one has perfect faith based on “whatever will happen”. We have perfect faith based on what we’ve experienced thus far. The more we trust, the more faith we will develop.
- Share the last 10 percent. Most of us are 90% honest… Learn to share the next 10%.
- Our people wonder if we care more than they wonder if we can fix it. When Jesus was awoken on the boat when the storm hit, the disciples asked “Don’t you care if we drown?” not, “Will you fix this?”
- What’s the real reason you want this? Motives matter. When you pray, and when you lead, ask, “Why do I want this?”
- Prepare for the miracle before it happens. God gives us what we can handle… Prepare for more. Be a person whose character can hold what comes next.
- Resist the temptation to blame. When things don’t go as we want, we all point the finger. Learn to trust God in all outcomes.
- Our people remember our consistent nature over our momentary action. We all make mistakes, but character is proved over time.
- Don’t compare. John had to stop comparing himself with other apostles to accept his calling.
- Waiting gives you a chance to see what matters. Joseph waited 18 years until his dream became a reality. Paul waited 12 until his calling became real. Waiting gives us a chance to see that God’s presence is not based on our performance or our position. His timing is always the best timing.
- Never trust a nervous pilot. We trust those who have been through this before and have confidence. That’s why we can trust God, because his Son always did.
Pre-order my book today at afteramenbook.com. I can’t wait for you to read it.
Your Pastor,
Rusty George
