This year has been a little bit of a slower start to the year than is typical. I've felt a little sluggish getting into the swing of things and it's taken me a little bit longer to settle on what I felt my word was supposed to be for this year.

As the last weeks of 2019 drew to a close, I began asking to the Lord to show me what He had for me to focus on in the new year and for the first time since I started doing this (8 years ago), I felt a little lost. My mind was foggy. Maybe I didn't need to do it anymore?



Over Christmas, what I felt like the Lord taught me was about His peace. How He himself is our peace. I felt like that was really crucial to the Christmas season for my heart and my perspective to who He is for me in this time in my life. And while that was so good, I just didn't feel settled that "peace" was the word for the year. So I continued to pray and ask the Lord for clarity.

New Year's Day came and went. I kept asking the Lord to make clear to me what he wanted for me. And then finally, a few days after the new year as I was just about to drift off to sleep, I felt what I can only describe as a whisper in my heart the word "linger".



In the next days I began to read and look at what the Bible has to say about the word "linger"... and to be honest, I was a little discouraged. At first it seemed negative. There are a good amount of verses that caution against lingering in the Bible. But I don't think that's the purpose the Lord has for me with this word.



I finally came across a passage in the Message Bible, in Isaiah chapter 26 and my heart settled on it...

"We're in no hurry, God. We're content to linger in the path sign-posted with your decisions. Who you are and what you've done are all we'll ever want..." 

I KNEW when I read that what my focus needs to be this year in lingering in the Lord's path.



What's so sweet about that passage is that Isaiah 26 has been a really important passage for me throughout my life, v. 3 in particular... "You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast in Him."  And there's the peace I had been sitting with over Christmas. The Lord so sweetly leading me to this passage, this word.



So there it is, my word for 2020: linger. I am so excited to see how the Lord will use it to teach me new things about Himself.

You can read about my words from past years here: