About LIW
Ladies In Waiting is a ministry to encourage single Christian ladies who desire to whole heartedly follow Christ when the world around us is going to opposite direction. A "lady in waiting" is a lady who waits upon nobility. We are ladies who are waiting on our Lord to serve Him at His bidding, without the distraction of a husband and children. "The woman who is unmarried, and the virgin, is concerned about the things of the Lord, that she may be holy in both body and spirit; but one who is married is concerned about the things of the world, how she may please her husband. This I say for your own benefit; not to put a restraint upon you, but to promote what is appropriate and to secure undistracted devotion to the Lord" (I Corinthians 7:34-35).
We are privileged to offer all of Ladies In Waiting free of charge. In order to offer LIW for free, we send it out our e-magazine through e-mail. We want this to be a ministry from the Lord, and not a blessing that our subscribers have to pay to receive.
We have many ways in which to encourage single ladies in their walk with the Lord. First of all, we send out a bi-monthly e-magazine in which we cover a wide variety of topics that specifically address single Christian ladies. We pray that we will be able to address our readers current spiritual needs. Our ministry is rooted in the truths of the Bible. Each lady who writes for LIW is either a member or a guest writer, all from different areas of the world. (In order to receive our e-magazines, you will need to subscribe on our "How to Subscribe" page.)
Secondly, we have this website to familiarize you with the ministry of Ladies In Waiting. Here we share articles which LIW members have written, as well as member comments about the ministry. We also desire to point you to other encouraging sites and some good Christian books.
Lastly, we desire to be available for our member's to write us, whether it just be to get to know us, to seek encouragement or councel, or to share a blessing or encouragement. Sarah Ann greatly enjoys corresponding with each lady who subscribes!
Purpose of LIW
The purpose of LIW is to lead you to the best Lover that you can have, and that is our Lord. He is always there for you. We desire to encourage you as single Christian ladies to wait on the Lord for your future, being content in Him, and not to jump ahead of the Lord’s timing. You must learn to be secure in your Lord’s love until He sends along the right mate for you. You also need to be content in the Lord's love, because it may be His will for you not to be marry. While you wait, you must be growing closer to the Lord and becoming the godly lady He wants you to be. Filling your life with a husband is not going to give you the security you long for. Only the Lord can fill the empty feeling in your life.
History of LIW
At the end of 2004, Sarah Ann had a burden to encourage single Christian ladies. She didn't know of a ministry that focused fully on single Christian ladies and the daily issues they face in this godless world. The Lord laid it on her heart to begin such a ministry. It was wonderful to see how the Lord gave her the ideas as she began LIW, even down to the smallest things. She knew that it would be a blessing for single ladies to read testimonies from other ladies who had the same high Biblical standards and beliefs. She has been through many difficult times in her life, and she knows that the encouragement of others is a great spiritual boost.
The first e-magazine issue of Ladies In Waiting was sent out in March 15, 2005. We had the joy of sending out monthly e-magazines for five years. Then the Lord lead us at the beginning of 2010 to change to bi-monthly e-magazines, in order to concentrate more on the personal needs of each member and have time to communicate with them.
For about a year and a half (April 2008 to September 2009), we had a devotional blog where we posted a new devotional each day. These devotionals were written by several LIW members. We desired to encourage ladies, not just once a month, but daily. But then the Lord lead us to discontinue posting new devotionals, as other areas of the ministry were beginning to demand more of our time. We still have the archives of these devotionals for you to browse through and enjoy! You may see them at www.devotionaledifys.wordpress.com.
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Our Waiting Days
Written by J. Danson Smith
Sit still, my daughter! Just sit calmly still!
Nor deem these days—these waiting days—as ill!
The One who loves thee best, who plans thy way,
Hath not forgotten thy great need today!
And, if He waits, ‘tis sure He waits to prove
To thee, His tender child, His heart’s deep love.
Sit still, my daughter! Just sit calmly still!
Thou longest much to know thy dear Lord’s will!
While anxious thoughts would almost steal their way
Corrodingly within, because of His delay—
Persuade thyself in simple faith to rest
That He, who knows and loves, will do the best.
Sit still, my daughter! Just sit calmly still!
Nor move one step, not even one until
His way hath opened. Then, ah then, how sweet!
How glad thy heart, and then how swift thy feet
Thy inner being then, ah then, how strong!
And waiting days not counted then too long.
Sit still, my daughter! Just sit calmly still!
What higher service could’st thou for Him fill?
‘Tis hard! An yes! But choicest things must cost!
For lack of losing all how much is lost!
“Tis hard, ‘tis true! But then—He giveth grace
To count the hardest spot the sweetest place.
“Taken from Streams in the Desert by Mrs. Charles Cowman. Copyright © 1996 by The Zondervan Corporation. Used by permission of Zondervan.”