The Bubble
HOW DO YOU LIVE OUT THE WORD WHEN YOU’RE IN NEED OF A WORD?
iPhone Bubble
There’s a feature that iPhones carry that allows you to see when someone is responding to a text you’ve sent out. It’s “the bubble with the 3 dots.” Know what I’m talking about? It’s actually called the “typing awareness indicator” but we all know it as (the bubble): the time between text messages or what I like to call it, the waiting period.
That little grey bubble can cause some serious anxiety.
That bubble
conveys that something is going on even if you don't know what's going on. Trust God in the bubble!
I was reading an article from The New York Times and the title was: Bubbles Carry a Lot of Weight, the author was saying that this feature was causing too much anxiety “It’s giving monumental weight to matters of a text message.” The issue is not even the text messages, what gives people anxiety, it’s the “time between text messages”- it’s the waiting period. It’s waiting for THAT response, for that answer. She says her therapist ordered her to disable it on her phone because it was affecting her.
Maryam Abolfazli, a writer in Washington says this: “The three dots showed while someone is drafting a message in iMessage is quite possibly the most important source of eternal hope and ultimate letdown in our daily lives.”
Paul Dourish, a professor at the University of California says: “The awareness indicator as implemented on the iPhone is a curious beast- it conveys that something is being done, but it won’t say what.”
I don’t know if you’re following me, but just hang on for a minute.
As believers, many times the Holy Spirit conveys that something is being done in our lives but He will not reveal it to us just yet. We are in the “in between”phase, waiting for something to happen. We find ourselves in The Bubble and for many that is causing anxiety, stress and worry. For some it’s affecting their relationships with their loved ones, it’s robbing them of their peace, it’s interfering their their sleep pattern… it’s even affecting their physical and mental health. The Bubble can often be very heavy. And if you don’t know how to carry it well, it can and it will drain you, sucking the life out of you.
As I said before, this can be a frustrating feature, why? Because of all of the emotions that goes into waiting for a response. Allow me give you a simple, yet a very practical example. Let’s say you send out a very important text message to somoene:
· You get happy when the bubble pops up because the other person is responding…
· But then the bubble takes a long time and you’re like.. “Okay! Let me brace myself because I am about to read something deep”. Then what happens?
· The bubble disappears and you’re left in a total and utter confusion. “What happened? Weren’t you responding?! I saw the bubble pop up?”
You begin to feel all sorts of emotions: you get sad, upset, confused, and even feel ignored. You don’t understand what just happened. However, when you least expect it, all of a sudden the bubble reappears after what seemed an eternity and you finally receive a response. A ONE letter response: “K”. You may be chuckling while reading this but this is real, it’s happened to me and I’m sure its happened to you before. You’re like “Wow! Really?!! All this for a “K”.. I just poured out my heart and soul and you couldn’t even type the full word, OKAY or OK, you just typed “K”. Or maybe you just get the thumbs up tap back response. But hey, a response is a response, right? It may not have been what you had hoped for; a long detailed paragraph, however it was still an answer back.
Again, this is just a simple example I wanted to illustrate because we’ve all been there. We can laugh about it because we can all relate. At one point or another, we’ve poured out our hearts to the Lord and cried out to Him as Jeremiah 33:3 says and we have not heard back. Possibly you’ve seen glimpses of what would be a promising response; but then suddenly the bubble disappears, deflating every air of hope you had been gathering. Maybe the answer did arrive but wrapped up in what you did not expect, causing frustration and disappointment. It’s easy to feel (sometimes) that that’s how God response to our questions, with a thumbs up tapback after being in the bubble for so long. Questions like: But God, are you reacting to the message or replying affirmatively to the content I’ve provided? God but you sent a “heart tapback” what does that mean? Does it mean that Yes, you are on board… like now or late?
We want to know in full detail what God is thinking and we want a response now; unfortunately it does not work that way.
We can quote scriptures till we’re blue in the face but the real question is, how do you live out the Word when you need a word; when you’re stuck in The Bubble and it seems as though God is taking forever to answer back?
Waiting on God can sometimes cause serious anxiety because by nature we do not like to wait. We hate to wait in lines; we despise being stuck in traffic. Who has time to be patient and wait when life does not wait on us? We live in such a busy society that demands our time and attention. However, when God demands of our time and full attention, we have a plethora of excuses as to why we cannot give Him the time He is requiring of us. Let me be clear about something, oven-cooked prayers do not result in microwavable answers. (tweet that) It doesn’t matter how long you have been praying, it’s all in God’s timing, not ours. Trust me, you will thank Him later, even if you don’t understand it now. Delays are tough when you don’t know why they exist but if you could get a little insight, a tip, some sort of information, then the waiting period would be a lot easier to manage. Sometimes God reveals bits and pieces, other times you literally have to walk by faith and not by sight. You’re not going to see anything because God will not show you anything and you have to be okay with that and trust Him in the bubble.
I want to encourage you today, do not get discouraged if you find yourself stuck inside the bubble. If you still have not seen anything; begin to worship Him, begin to thank Him for what’s coming because God is up to something. That bubble indicates that something is happening. My friend, God is working it out! That bubble is conveying that something is going on even if you do not know what is going on. Trust God in the bubble! He is looking for trustworthy people who can be Trusted with Trouble. Can God trust you with troubles? (I have a chapter on this on my book, Silent Cries). He is looking for people who can trust Him while they’re in the bubble. If that is you, if you are in the bubble, may He find you trustworthy.
It doesn’t matter what your present situation looks like, live out your life by believing what the Word says! You want God to speak to you? You want to know how to live out the Word when you need a word? Read your Bible, it is His Words breathed on paper. Do not only read it but believe it and live it out! Walk in total confidence and with the boldness God has given you to declare His promises. He is no man to lie nor son of man to go back on His Word; if He promised it, He will fulfill it,
If you are in a bubble:
· Of uncertainty, continue to believe
· Where nothing happens, keep waiting (something is happening)
· Where everything is upside down and completely opposite of what God spoke to you.
Keep pressing through, your bubble will soon pop and you will see the manifestation of God’s Word over your life
The bubble is an uncomfortable place to be in but it is a necessary place to be in. Why does God keep us in the bubble?
1. So we can learn how to trust and whole-heartily rely on Him and Him alone. He is our source.
2. To increase our faith. If we want to believe God in a deeper level, we have to go through deeper situations.
3. To develop us. Sometimes we simply need to grow up. We are not ready to receive YET what has been promised to us. He wants to develop and get us ready. Sometimes we are too immature to handle the blessings. Or many times, we are just not ready. Consider this boot camp and you’re in training.
BUT THE QUESTION IS THIS:
How are you going to conduct yourself inside the bubble? How you react inside the bubble will determine the outcome when you get outside the bubble.
You may be in a BUBBLE of
· God, I need a miracle
· God, I need healing
· God, I want a husband
· God, I want a family
· God, I need restoration for my marriage
· God, I’m worried about my kids
· God, I need a job
· God, my business
· God, my ministry
· God, my future
Your reaction will determine God’s action.
If you’ve been praying about something, start praising and change your vocabulary to IT IS WELL! Begin to speak life over your situation.
I want to leave this homework assignment for you: Study the story of the Shunammite woman in 2 Kings 4:8-4:37 and ask the Holy Spirit to speak to you, take notes and begin to apply this woman’s attitude and adopt her vocabulary in your life and in your circumstances. She said: IT IS WELL. When you find yourself in the bubble, think of the three dots as: It. Is. Well. It is well because God’s got you. The good work He has begun in your life is not finished. He is still working and for that you should be grateful because its not the end of your story… there is more!
Isaiah 49:23 says that “…those who hope in me will not be disappointed”. I pray that you find reassurance, peace, and hope in God’s Word and that today’s blog encourages you deeply. If you know someone who finds themselves in The Bubble, share this with them so that they too are blessed by God’s Word.
As always,
Be Encouraged, Be Blessed!
~landypf