Recently as I was praying, the following phrase came from the Lord, “Women who are leaders and devoted to Me can change the world.” 

As I reflected on those words, my thoughts were drawn to a few very specific women in the Bible— those who went to the tomb that first Easter morning. They were leaders, women of influence, and they influenced not only each other, but their actions are still influencing us today. 

These women were brave enough to journey with Jesus to the cross, despite the animosity of the crowd. They didn’t run away when they saw Christ being persecuted; in fact, they remained steadfast and focused until the end, even when others of His followers fled. 

They were humble and caring and willing to do what needed to be done, when it needed to be done. They didn’t hesitate and weren’t timid. They were ordinary women open to being used by God for his extraordinary purposes.

After Jesus was laid in the tomb, the women went home that night to prepare the burial spices, and then they took a very important step. They stopped. Instead of rushing to get their task done, they rested quietly on the Sabbath and didn’t let their work get in the way of their worship. It gave them each the time to prepare their body, mind and spirit for what God had laid on their hearts to do. And when the sun rose the next morning, so did the women. They
went out early and without delay. They didn’t exhibit any fear or concern of how they were going to move the big boulder in front of the tomb. 

Instead, they trusted, and their trust in God made them bold, determined and disciplined. It led them to be the first ones to hear the news of the risen Lord and to be able to share it with others. And even though the disciples first laughed at them when the women told them about Jesus’ resurrection, the men didn’t ignore their message. They still went to see for themselves.

That was influence at work. It’s called leadership. And the world was forever changed. By ordinary women.

Has the Lord put something on your heart to do? If so, what is your first step—to race to get it done or to stop and sit with Jesus? Today, I would like to encourage you to take a few moments to worship before work and see what a difference it makes.

It has been two months since I have posted anything on our Leading Well page or almost on any page of the website. I realized last week, in my study of John the Baptist, that before John began paving the way for Jesus, he had been in the wilderness. Somehow reading those words resonated with me, and I felt like for the past two months I too have been in the wilderness, unable to write or think creatively. 

Normally we look at the wilderness as a less than desired place to be. A place that we would rather run from than run to. However, as I reflected on the verses about John the Baptist, I realized that it was during his time in the wilderness that John received the word from the Lord that propelled him into ministry. It was similar with Joshua. It was when Joshua was in the wilderness that he received his calling and was given his marching orders. And then there was Jesus. Jesus was led into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit after a pinnacle moment in His life. His baptism. It was during His 40 days in the wilderness that Jesus hungered and was sustained by God's truth. He wasn't teaching or preaching, instead he was building up His inner resolve against the enemy by feasting only on what the Lord had to offer.

I have come to the conclusion that being in the wilderness is not necessarily a bad place to be, as we may often think. Instead it can be a very holy time, a time to listen much and speak little. A time to reflect and repent and renew. The past two months have been a very busy time in the life of our Network - both for our churches and for our women, so I had thought that it was just the busyness of the schedule that had made me lay my pen down. Now I realize that I wasn't meant to write during this busy season. I was in the wilderness, and it was a time for just listening. Listening to God's Word, feeding on His truth and discovering some of the next steps in moving forward. What I have learned has been incredible.

There may be times when you too will find yourself in the middle of the wilderness. I would encourage you to not be discouraged by the fact that you are not completing what maybe you think you should be doing with your time. Instead, embrace this time, let go of the unnecessary and just listen. Listen to what the Lord has for you, and then follow His leading. Let the wilderness be a place to recall or discover your purpose. Let it propel you on the next steps of the journey the Lord has planned for you. 

"'For I know the plans I have for you,' says the LORD. 'They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope'" Jeremiah 29:11.